Welding a Family
by lateVMlover
Summary: After Willow is hospitalized, Pepper Potts is notified by the Rosenbergs that her daughter needs her. She drops everything to run to Willow's side, bringing Tony along with her. When the two adults discover that Willow and her friends are fighting a battle of their own, they do what they can to help. Tony discovers that not only is Willow special, but so are all her friends.
1. Chapter 1

**This is set at the end of **_**BTVS **_**season 2 after Willow is hospitalized when Dru attacks the library. Pepper Potts is alerted that her adopted daughter has been seriously injured and informs Tony of the fact. This is after **_**Iron Man 1**_** but not yet **_**Iron Man 2**_**. I had to label it Avengers because Iron Man wasn't showing up for some reason, but this is NOT an Avengers tale.**

**I do not own Buffy or its characters since I'm not Joss Whedon. Iron Man is the creation of Stan Lee, I believe. No plans for other Marvel characters. This is purely an Iron Man tale.**

Chapter 1: It's a Girl

******_Malibu******_

Pepper was walking into Tony's house when she received the call.

"Hello," she said.

"Pepper Potts?"

"Yes, I'm Pepper," she said, cautious as it was an unknown number.

"This is Sheila Rosenberg—Willow's adoptive mother," she said.

Pepper clutched the phone, her stomach in knots. "Is everything okay with Willow?" she asked.

"That's why I'm calling. Ira and I are away at a conference," she said. "Willow was in some sort of accident at school. She's in the hospital. Do you think you could go to Sunnydale? We can't get a flight out for another day."

"Of course," she said quickly. The thought of seeing her daughter face-to-face after all these years was incredible.

"That would be wonderful. Tell her we will be home as soon as we can," Sheila said.

"Does she know who I am?" Pepper asked.

"Well, sort of," Sheila said. "We did tell her when she was twelve that she was adopted. I showed her a picture of you."

"Really? That's good," Pepper said, relieved. "Thanks for calling me."

"You are on the west coast, right?" Sheila asked.

"I am right now, so I can get to her within a few hours," she said.

"Great. I'll speak to you later," she said, disconnecting.

Pepper stood there in a fog for a long minute as she tried to wrap her mind around the call. She had gotten pregnant her junior year of high school after she'd been swept up in the romance of junior and senior prom. Her very conservative parents had been horrified and convinced her to give up her daughter. She wouldn't do so unless it was an open adoption and parents that she approved of. Ira and Sheila were both highly educated, and Ira was a rabbi. They seemed perfect, and they had been willing to send her yearly reports on Willow's progress. Her daughter was kind, brilliant and headed for a bright future.

"Pepper?" Tony asked, coming upstairs from his lab. "JARVIS told me you're here."

She nodded but said nothing.

Tony moved to stand in front of her, sensing something was wrong. "Pepper, are you okay?" he asked. He put his hands on her shoulder.

"No, I'm not," she said. "I have to go. Can I take your plane?"

"Remember, I put you in charge of Stark Industries, so you don't have to ask me to use the plane," Tony reminded her.

"Okay. I have to go to Sunnydale, California," she said.

"That's what? Two hours?" he asked. "Do you need to fly? Wouldn't a car make more sense?"

"My daughter is in the hospital. I have to go now," she said.

Tony took a step back. "What? You have a daughter? How? When? And why don't I know this?" he asked in shock.

"It's a long story—one I can't tell you now," Pepper said impatiently. "I have to go."

"I'll get the helicopter. It can land basically at the hospital," Tony said. "JARVIS, tell the pilot we need the chopper."

"Go upstairs to the guest room and get your overnight bag," he said. She kept clothes in all his houses. "I'm coming with you."

"You don't have to, Tony," she said.

"Pepper, you're my family. If you have a daughter who needs you, then I want to be there for you both," he said simply.

Less than twenty minutes, they were on the helicopter, Happy with them. He hated the chopper, but he wasn't about to let Tony go to a new town without him.

"So you want to tell me about your daughter?" Tony asked, speaking into the mike.

"I got pregnant in high school, and my parents convinced me to give her up for adoption," Pepper shared.

"I'm pretty shocked," Tony said.

"Yes, I know," Pepper said sourly. "The one time I allowed myself to be overcome by romance and passion. It was the prom."

"Well, that explains it," Tony said with a grin. "I lost my virginity at the prom."

"Really?" she asked, surprised.

"Of course, I was a sophomore, dating a senior," he said.

Pepper smiled and shook her head. "That doesn't surprise me," she said. "I agreed to an open adoption, so I picked parents who would keep me updated on Willow's progress."

"You named her Willow or did the parents?" Tony wondered.

"I did," Pepper said, smiling at the memory. "They said since I was giving them my daughter, I should be allowed to give her a name."

"That was generous of them," Tony said.

Pepper nodded. "They're a nice couple. Sheila is a child psychologist, and Ira is a rabbi. Both have doctorates and have provided a nice life for Willow," she said. She pulled out her wallet and showed Tony a photo.

Tony looked down at the young girl with long red hair and a shy smile. "Wow," he said. "She looks a lot like you."

"Sheila has red hair, too, so most people don't know Willow's not their biological daughter," Pepper said. "She's a child prodigy."

"Really?" Tony said with interest. "What's her thing? Math?"

"Actually, it's computers," Pepper said.

Tony grinned. "I can't wait to meet her," he said.

Pepper groaned. "Tony, I've never met her before. I can't have you taking the spotlight in this," she said. "You understand, right?"

"Don't worry, Pepper. Once she meets you, she won't give me a second thought," he assured her. Sometimes, Pepper didn't realize just how perfect she was, but Tony knew. He couldn't function without her. In the month since she took over at CEO of his company, the stocks were climbing. She didn't just bring stability to his life, but she did the same thing to his business.

Pepper didn't say anything more as she became more anxious the closer they got closer to Sunnydale.

Tony wasn't about to trust Pepper's daughter's care to just anyone, so he'd arranged for a top doctor to fly in and check Willow out.

Pepper went to the front desk to find out what room Willow was in while Tony had JARVIS locate the doctor he'd requested.

When they made it to Willow's room, she hesitated outside the door.

"What if she isn't happy to see me?" Pepper asked Tony.

"How could she not be happy to see you?" Tony asked. "You're the most amazing woman on the planet. She'll be ecstatic." He saw the doctor approaching. "You go see her while I speak to the doctor."

"Thanks, Tony," she said, squeezing his hand before stepping into the room.

Pepper saw two teenage boys sitting on each side of Willow. They looked up when she came in. One of the boys had his arm in a cast.

"Hello," she said.

"Hi," the boy with the broken arm said. "Can we help you?"

"I'm actually here at the Rosenbergs' request," she said. "They can't get here until tomorrow."

"No surprise," the boy said, rolling his eyes.

Pepper frowned, disturbed by his attitude. "I'm Pepper Potts, Willow's biological mother. Is she okay?" she asked. She couldn't help but notice that her daughter hadn't opened her eyes.

"What? Willow's adopted?" the boy exclaimed in disbelief. He looked at the other boy. "Oz, did you know that?"

Oz nodded. "Yes," he said. Then he looked at Pepper. "I'm Oz, Willow's boyfriend."

Pepper held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you even if the circumstances are bad," she said, and Oz moved to shake her hand. "What happened to Willow?"

"I'm Xander, her best guy friend," the other boy said. "A very heavy bookshelf in the library fell on top of her. She's not regained consciousness."

"Seriously?" Pepper asked in dismay. "How did a bookshelf fall on her?"

Oz and Xander exchanged a look. Oz shrugged. "This woman isn't like the Rosenbergs," Oz said to Xander. He and Willow had discussed Willow's adoption at length. Willow had been keeping tabs on Pepper Potts ever since her mother told her about her. She wanted to ask to meet her, but she was too afraid. Oz tried to convince her that Pepper would be happy to meet her, but Willow was too fearful of rejection. Oz knew that Willow would be very happy to see her when she woke up.

"How is Willow adopted, and I don't know?" Xander asked, still in shock.

"Does Willow tell you everything?" Pepper asked.

"We've been best friends since kindergarten," Xander said. "Why wouldn't she tell me?"

"She didn't find out until she was twelve, and it really upset her. She was afraid you'd look at her differently," Oz explained.

Pepper was looking down at her daughter, her eyes filled with tears. She'd cut her hair, a sign she was growing up.

Tony came into the room. "Pepper, the doctor said that Willow should be okay once she wakes up," he told her. "There's some swelling in the brain, but it doesn't require surgery."

Xander stood up, his mouth opened in shock. "You're Tony Stark!" he exclaimed.

Tony smiled. "I am," he said, holding out his hand. "You must be a friend of Willow's."

"That's Xander. Her best friend since kindergarten," Pepper said, wiping her eyes. "That's Oz, her boyfriend."

"Oz, good to meet you," Tony said, shaking his hand. "What are your full names?"

"Alexander Harris," Xander said. "But I don't like Alex, so please don't call me that."

"I'm Daniel Osborne. People call me Oz," Oz said. "I play guitar."

"Cool," Tony said. "I'm a mechanic."

"You're Iron Man," Xander said.

Tony shrugged. "I'm that, too," he said. "So how did Willow end up with a brain injury, you with a broken arm, and another friend dead?"

Pepper looked surprised. "What?" she asked.

"Happy showed me the police report," he said. "Another student named Buffy killed a girl."

"That's not true!" Xander said angrily. "Our principal is an evil troll, who hates Buffy. She didn't kill Kendra. It was Drusilla."

"You saw who killed her?" Tony asked.

"I know who was in the library and attacked me. Dru led a group of her guys," Xander said.

"Who is this woman?" Tony asked.

Xander looked at Oz, who said, "A local gang leader. She and Angelus, Buffy's ex, are trying to hurt Buffy anyway they can."

"It was a bad break-up," Xander said. "Buffy wasn't even there when Dru attacked. She must've come afterward."

"Xander?" Xander looked up at his name and saw Cordelia standing in the doorway. She ran into his arms.

"I was so scared. I just ran, and it took me a while to realize no one was chasing me," she said.

"That's Xander's girlfriend," Oz explained.

The adults nodded. "Why is Tony Stark here?" Cordelia asked, recognizing the billionaire.

"He's with Pepper," Xander said. "Turns out that Will is adopted, and Pepper is her real mother."

"Really?" Cordelia said. She straightened up and went to Pepper, holding out her hand. "I'm Cordelia Chase, and I want to be _you_ when I grow up. I used to think I'd want to be an actress because I want people adoring me but being CEO of a huge company and having everyone do your bidding has to be the best job in the world."

Pepper wasn't sure how to take the brassy young woman, but Tony did. He laughed, appreciating her bold personality. "Pepper is very good at getting people to do what she wants," he said, putting his arm around Pepper's shoulder.

"Is Willow okay?" another voice said. They turned to the front door.

"Buffy!" Xander exclaimed, moving to hug her. "Are you okay? Did Angelus hurt you?"

"He didn't really try. It was about luring me away from you guys," Buffy said bitterly. "I'm such an idiot. I fell for it and left all of you unprotected."

Tony was quick to note that the very fragile and petite looking teenager somehow believed that her presence would have protected them all. Something very odd was going on.

"You couldn't have known, Buffy," Xander said.

"True," Oz agreed.

"Is Will okay? Who are they?" Buffy asked, looking at the two adults she didn't know. They weren't in medical clothes, so they didn't work for the hospital. The guy looked kind of familiar, but she couldn't place him.

"Will has some swelling in her brain, and we're waiting for her to wake up," Xander explained. "She'll be okay. This is her bio mom."

"Willow's adopted?" Buffy asked, surprised.

"You didn't know either?" Xander asked, feeling a bit better.

Buffy shook her head. "No, but I'm glad to know those unfeeling people aren't her blood," she said.

Pepper gave the girl a sharp look and glanced at Tony, who also noted the words. This was the second time one of them made a disparaging remark about the Rosenbergs, and Pepper was not happy.

"Are you okay, young lady?" Tony asked Buffy.

"No, I'm not. I have to go stop Angelus before he does a ceremony that will open the hellmouth," Buffy said, bluntly.

"Excuse me?" Pepper asked.

"Our town is on a hellmouth," Xander said. The adults would either think they were joking or just not believe them out of principle. However, Xander didn't think Iron Man was someone who would dismiss their words out of hand. Maybe, he could even help. It would be nice to have someone else help them for a change.

"Which is?" Tony prompted.

"A gateway to hell," Xander said when Buffy didn't protest his frankness or answer Tony's question. "Buffy is a vampire slayer, and Angelus and Drusilla are both vampires."

"You're not serious," Tony said with a frown.

"I wish," Cordelia said.

"He's telling the truth," Oz said.

"You're saying this town—the town my daughter lives in is full of monsters?" Pepper asked, a note of hysteria in her voice.

"It's only dangerous at night," Cordelia said. "Or if you spend time around Buffy. She attracts the bad things 'cause they're always wanting to kill her."

"Thanks, Cordelia," Buffy said sourly.

"No problem," Cordelia said with a bright smile. "I've been nearly killed a dozen times since you've came to town."

"That's because you're always the damsel in distress that I have to save," Buffy said, glaring at her.

"Is this a joke?" Pepper asked. She looked at Tony. "Tony, you'd know if there were vampires in this town, right?"

"JARVIS, what are the death stats in Sunnydale?" Tony asked.

"Who's JARVIS?" Xander asked.

"He's my personal assistance," Tony asked.

"Is he invisible?" Cordelia asked, looking around. "We had an invisible girl a few months ago. She tried to kill me."

"Because you were all mean girl on her," Buffy reminded her.

"Being rude to someone isn't a reason to kill them," Cordelia said. She looked at Pepper. "Right?"

"Of course not," Pepper said quickly. She felt like she was in a dream—one that was becoming stranger by the minute.

"JARVIS says that the town's per capita murder rate is worse than Los Angeles, which shouldn't be possible," Tony said, frowning. "Death by blood loss or barbeque fork stabbings are the most common reason of death. That's the most insane thing I've ever heard. Who kills with barbeque forks?"

"Vampires," Cordelia said. "Or rather they just use their teeth, but cops can't very well put death by vampire on their reports."

"Right," Tony agreed, bemused. Cordelia flashed him a beaming smile—she loved when people agreed with her.

"It would be logical to conclude, sir, that vampires are real and killing people in this town. Or some other threat that has two teeth and drains the blood of its victims," JARVIS told him.

"I'm going to go take care of Angelus," Buffy said grimly. "This is my fault, and I have to end this. He killed Ms. Calendar and tried to kill you guys. Kendra's dead. No more."

Tony frowned, not liking the look in the girl's eyes. It was clear that she'd seen too much and was willing to go on a suicide mission to stop this guy. "Hey, if you're going to fight whoever put Willow here, then I'm going to go with you," he said to her.

"He's Iron Man, Buffy," Xander explained.

Buffy stared at him a long moment, thinking. Then she shrugged. "And that makes a difference how?" Buffy said bluntly. "I don't fight terrorists. I fight demons. Angel is a problem I created, so I'll deal with him."

She turned and left. Tony glanced at the kids. "Is this Angel guy really dangerous?" Tony asked.

"Angel? No. Angel loved Buffy, but then he got vertical with Buffy and had that one moment of happiness, and lost his soul," Cordelia explained. "Angelus is the vamp wearing Angel's face. He is a psychopathic monster, who likes playing mind games with Buffy and torturing and killing her friends."

"Why do I feel confused?" Tony asked, looking at Pepper. "I'm the smartest guy in every room, and I feel slow. Explain that to me again."

"Angel is a vampire that was cursed by gypsies with a soul. He was not evil," Xander explained. "He and Buffy fell in love, but they didn't know that one moment of true happiness would cause his soul to be taken away."

Pepper felt sick. "So she slept with him, and he woke up wanting to kill her?" she asked.

"Basically," Cordelia said. "Buffy's life is pretty sucky."

"I'll say," Tony said, feeling bad for the poor girl. "Where do you think this Angel guy is?"

"Probably at the mansion he lives in," Xander said.

Willow chose that moment to open her eyes. "Oz?" she asked.

"I'm right here, baby," Oz said, going to her side and holding her hand.

"My head hurts," she said.

"Go get the doctor," Pepper said to Tony.

Tony left to do that while Pepper gazed down at her daughter. Willow hadn't noticed her yet.

"We're so glad you're okay," Xander said from her other side.

"Yea," Cordelia said. "Kendra is dead."

"How about you back off and give her a minute?" Pepper said sharply.

"Fine. I'll go get something to drink for everyone," Cordelia said. "Glad you're not dead, Will."

Then she turned to leave.

"Is that girl for real?" Pepper asked Xander.

Xander grinned. "Cordy doesn't believe in bullshitting people," he said. "Considering Willow and I used to hate her guts, she's come a long way."

Willow sat up with Oz's help. The doctor came in and did an examine, declaring her on the mend. When he left, Pepper stepped into her line of sight.

"Hello, Willow," Pepper said, smiling at her.

Willow stared at the woman who gave birth to her in shock. "You're here!" she exclaimed, looking at Oz, who gave her an encouraging smile.

"Your mother called me, and I came," Pepper said. "I'm sorry it took so long for us to meet."

Willow started to cry, so Pepper moved closer, sitting on the edge of her bed. When Willow threw her arms around her and hugged her. Pepper felt the hug all the way to her soul.

She was holding her daughter, and she never wanted to let her go.

*****_Chapter End*****_


	2. Chapter 2

**I do want to point out that one reader told me they thought I got the timeline a bit off with making Pepper CEO as that happened in **_**Ironman 2**_**. I've not bothered checking, but I'm assuming the reader is correct. I needed her in charge for the purpose of this story, but I didn't want the timeline to come anywhere close to **_**Avengers**_** timeline. So assume that my goof is for creative purposes even though I DID make an honest mistake! **

Chapter 2: Fighting Angelus

_*****Where We Left Off*****_

Willow couldn't believe her birth mother was there in the hospital, hugging her. She pulled back and looked at her. "You're so pretty!" she said.

Pepper smiled. "So are you," she said, stroking her hair.

Oz looked at Xander. "We need to give them some privacy," he said softly. They got up to leave, and the two redheads didn't even notice.

"How did you get here? How did you know to come?" Willow asked, still amazed that she was here.

"Well, your mother called me. She said that she and your father couldn't get a flight out to be here until tomorrow," Pepper said.

"So my mom's had your number all this time? Why didn't she tell me?" Willow asked, surprised.

"Probably because you never asked," Pepper said. "We have an open adoption, which means they give me yearly updates, but I'm not allowed to initiate contact—only you or they can."

"I didn't know she had it," Willow said. "I thought about contacting you a hundred times, but I didn't realize I just had to ask Mom for your number." The knowledge made her feel a bit stupid.

"I'm so glad she called me," Pepper said, squeezing her hand. "I've been hoping for this chance."

"Me, too," Willow said, wiping her eyes.

Pepper wanted to ask her about the comments about her parents from her friends, but she also didn't want to upset her. Tony came into the room, knocking as he pushed up the door.

"How are you two doing?" he asked, giving them a bright smile.

Willow looked star struck. "I can't believe that Tony Stark is here!" she exclaimed. Then she glanced at Pepper. "But I guess you aren't surprised since you work for him and have known him for a while now."

"After a while, the awe will wear off," Pepper said dryly. "Tony, this is Willow, my daughter." Saying those words aloud filled her with incredible joy.

"It's great to meet you, Willow," Tony said, giving her his most charming smile. "Don't listen to her. The awe will never rub off."

Willow giggled. "Probably not," she said.

"Willow," Xander said. "I called Giles to see if we needed to help Buffy. He said she was heading to her house to get her weapons now."

"Oh, I can do that spell!" Willow said. "Ms. Calendar translated it, and I have the ingredients in my room."

"What spell?" Tony asked.

Willow looked uncomfortable. "I'm sort of a witch—not a very strong one or anything, but I can do some things. Mostly just float a pencil, but I've been learning," she said.

"So witches and magics are real, too?" Tony said, trying to tone down his disbelief. The entire town was an unknown, and Pepper would never forgive him if he alienated her daughter. Magic could just be another form of energy that he'd not yet discovered. It could also be some type of tech that the kids didn't quite understand. It was best to keep an open mind, especially if he wanted them to be open with him and Pepper.

Willow nodded. "It's real," she said.

"Are you going to help Buffy?" Xander asked Tony.

"Tell me where she lives, and I will go to her," Tony said.

"I'll show you where she lives," Xander said. He looked at Willow. "Cordy and I will stop by your place and get the stuff."

"It's all inside my nightstand," Willow said.

"I want to see this magic," Tony said.

"I'll record it, okay?" Pepper said. "Go help that poor girl." She wasn't sure if the teens were involved in some type of gang war or what, but she knew her daughter had been truly injured. She also knew that she would support Willow no matter what. If she believed she was a witch, then Pepper would believe it, too. It was the least she could do for the daughter she gave away.

After they left, Pepper turned to Willow and said, "So magic, huh? I want to hear all about it."

Willow couldn't believe she had a parent that genuinely wanted to hear from she had to say, so she began to speak.

*****_Buffy's*****_

Buffy was crying as she left her house, her mother's words ringing in her ears.

_If you leave, don't ever come back!_

She wiped her face, closing up all her emotions into a steel box. If she was going to defeat Angelus, she would have to focus.

Kendra and Ms. Calendar were dead because she hadn't been strong enough to kill Angelus because he was wearing Angel's face. This time would be different—she would do what she needed to do.

Tony made it to Buffy's place, but she wasn't there. Her mother answered the door.

"I'm looking for your daughter," Tony said to Joyce.

"My daughter? Why would Tony Stark be in town looking for my daughter?" she asked in bemusement.

"Because I hear she's got a bad guy to fight, and I wanted to help her," he said.

"Really?" Joyce asked, her voice filled with hope. "I told her to not leave. Let someone else do it, but she said it was her job—that she was a vampire slayer. Isn't that insane?"

"Well, the world is a wonderous place full of insane things like aliens," he said. "Do you know which direction she went?"

Joyce shook her head. "No, but she was on foot—probably that Angel guy's place," she said.

Tony nodded and turned to leave.

"Tell Buffy that I love her," Joyce said, regretting her angry words. It was too much to take in.

"I will," Tony said. Then he activated his suit and took to the air to find the teenager.

Ten minutes later, he finally located her. It looked like she was in the middle of a sword fight, so he dropped down several yards away. He didn't want to distract her, so he walked quietly toward her and the man she was fighting. The guy didn't look like a monster.

Then something happened—there was type of opening in the air. Not much longer, they stopped fighting as the man looked confused. Tony considered just blasting the guy for Buffy, but he seemed to be standing down. Tony stepped closer but did nothing to alert them of his presence.

"Buffy?" he asked.

Buffy looked at him in shock as she saw it was Angel looking back at her—Angelus was gone.

"Angel?" she whispered. He was back, but it was too late. The portal was open and getting large. She felt sick as she realized what she was going to have to do to him.

"What's happened?" he asked.

"Close your eyes," she said. Trusting her, he did so without protest. One last time, she leaned up to kiss him.

Tony was confused by the scene. Wasn't she supposed to kill the guy? The bright light behind them, though, was getting bigger.

"I love you, Angel," she said. Then she pulled back her arm and stabbed him with her sword.

Tony's eyes widened as the doorway began pulling the guy toward it. He moved quickly and grabbed Buffy, pulling her back.

Buffy watched as the man she loved was sucked into a hell dimension.

Tony wasn't sure what happened, but he knew that it had to take an incredible amount of strength for the girl to do what she just did.

"I killed him," Buffy said as Tony approached. "He wasn't Angelus anymore—he has his soul again, but it was too late. He'd already activated Acathla. The world would've been destroyed if I hadn't done it." She collapsed against Tony, sobbing.

Tony felt a deep anger as he realized what kind of things this poor girl had to go through. How was this happening? She was too damn young for this. Why was she fighting a battle like this? Where was SHIELD or whatever agency dealt with monsters?

"It's going to be okay," he said even though he had no idea if that was true. "I'm sure he would understand why you had to do what you did."

"How did he get his soul back?" she asked, looking up at Tony.

"It must've been Willow. She said she was going to try some spell. Her friends went to her house to get the stuff," Tony said. "She wanted to help you."

"She was too late," Buffy said, a devastated expression on her face. "His blood was opening Acathla, so only his blood could close it."

Tony realized just how strong the poor girl was. "Come on. I'll walk you home," he said.

"My mother told me not to come back because I told her what I was and what I had to do," Buffy said, despondent. "My principal told the cops I'm a murderer, and I'm expelled from school. My home has been destroyed. Angelus took everything from me."

"I spoke to your mother," Tony said. "She loves you—told me so herself."

Buffy didn't point out that sometimes love wasn't enough. Her love for Angel did nothing but get people killed. Her mother might love her, but she was never going to accept who and what Buffy was.

Silently, she walked toward her house, Tony a shadow behind her.

When she made it home, she surprised Tony by walking around to the side of her house. "Well, thanks," she said.

"I didn't really do anything," Tony said.

"Yes, but you wanted to and would've if given a chance," Buffy said. "That's more than most." She moved to the tree, obviously about to climb it.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'd rather not speak to my mother—it's been a crappy day," she said warily.

"So you're going to climb through the window?" he asked.

"Yep," she said. Then she proceeded to do exactly that.

Tony shrugged. If the girl wanted to climb through her bedroom window, he would let her.

When he made it back to the hospital, Pepper was sitting by a sleeping Willow. He motioned for Pepper to step out into the hallway.

"How is she doing?" he asked Pepper.

"She's good," Pepper said. "She did something really strange, though—a spell she called it. I don't know what happened, but she started speaking in some other language. Her eyes turned completely black, and then she was wiped. She's been asleep for the past hour."

"She did the spell to give Angel his soul back, didn't she?" Tony asked.

"How did you know? Did it actually work?" Pepper asked.

Tony nodded, looking grim. "I was there and watched Buffy fight the vampire with a sword. I think it had been going on for several minutes because the vampire had started some ceremony that Buffy said would cause the end of the world. There was this weird statue that she called Acathla," he said. "Then the vampire got his soul back, but it was too late. Buffy said that his blood had awakened the statue or portal, so only his blood could close it."

"Oh God! She had to kill the man she loved?" Pepper asked, horrified.

"Yes. She's an amazing girl," Tony said, still rattled by the entire scene. "To have that strength of character at such a young age is impressive—I sure didn't when I was her age. I'm not even sure I have it now!"

"These kids are very odd, Tony. My daughter thinks she is a witch, and her best friend is a vampire slayer. I'm not sure what to do," Pepper confessed.

"I'm not sure there's much we can do except support them. It's clear that the adults don't know because Buffy told me that she told her mother about herself tonight, and her mother told her not to come home," Tony said.

"Seriously?" Pepper asked in dismay.

"She didn't mean it, though. I spoke to her mother. She was just in shock and scared for her daughter," Tony said. "Did you record the magic show?"

"Yes," Pepper said in exasperation.

"Good," he said, happy.

"I'm not sure what to do. Do I tell the Rosenbergs what has happened here?" she asked.

"There's no point," a voice said. They looked at saw Oz leaning against the lounge doorway.

"Why is that?" Tony asked. He had very little experience with teenagers, but he knew that they weren't like these kids as a general rule. It was fascinating and disturbing.

"Because there's some type of spell or dark magic at work in this town that causes people to not question, and they just rationalize the odd things," he said. "Only if they have a direct connection or a strong reason do they push through it. We've seen it happen too many times."

"So you're saying Willow's parents wouldn't believe it?" Pepper asked.

Oz shook his head. "No, they're very rational and scientific people," he said.

"So am I," Tony said.

"But you're exceptional," Oz said. "You don't close your mind to other possibilities because your drive to know is greater than your fear of the unknown."

"That's some lofty wisdom for a young man," Tony said with a smile.

Oz shrugged. "I don't speak too much, but I see things," he said. "Are you guys staying in town?"

"We hadn't thought that far ahead," he said.

"You know hotels aren't secure because vampires don't need an invitation to get inside," Oz said.

"What about a bed and breakfast?" Tony asked.

"Those are usually in someone's home, so it should be okay. But I don't think there's one in town," Oz said.

"JARVIS secure us one, please," he said.

"There is one, sir, ten minutes away in a nearby town," JARVIS replied.

"Great," Tony said.

"Are you going to stay the night?" Pepper asked.

"If that's okay," Oz said.

Pepper nodded. "I'm sure your presence will be welcomed," she said. "Will you tell Willow that I will return in the morning? She's asleep right now."

"Sure," he said. He turned and walked back toward Willow's room.

"I like that kid," Tony said. "JARVIS accessed his records when he did his background check on all of them."

"Tony! You can't go spying on Willow's friends!" Pepper scolded.

"Sure, I can," Tony said. "I want to make sure that she has good people around her. You're the only reason I'm still doing so well, so that's important."

Pepper rolled her eyes. "Fine. What did you find out?" she asked. Tony was going to be Tony no matter what she said, and she knew that a background check was fairly benign.

"Your daughter _is _a genius and has even been teaching the advanced computer class that her late teacher was teaching," he said. "She's never gotten lower than an A in any class. Her boyfriend, on the other hand, rarely attended his classes, and he won't be graduating this year like he was set to."

"Really? That surprises me," Pepper said.

"His IQ, though, is even higher than Willow's," Tony said. "I just think he only uses it when the mood strikes him. He's a musician and a member of a band."

"What about Buffy and Xander?" she asked.

"Xander has been in all of Willow's advanced classes their entire life. I suspect she hacks the school and makes it to where she is never without him," Tony said with a smirk. "He's just slightly above average, and his grades are average. It's doubtful he ever applies himself as Willow probably pushes him to do just enough to get by."

"And Buffy?"

"Now Buffy is different. She was an A student up until last year when she attended school in Los Angeles," Tony said. "She was expelled for burning down the school gym. Her parents had her briefly locked in a psych ward."

Pepper's eyes widened. "Do you think she was fighting vampires at the school?" she asked.

Tony nodded. "Yes," he said. "I read the police reports from the eyewitness accounts, and it was clear that the students were describing vampires. One or two used the word, but the cops dismissed it as the kids being drunk or high—a way to rationalize the violence they saw."

"So after she got expelled her parents took her to be evaluated as it was not normal behavior for her," Pepper said. "I'd probably do the same thing."

"I don't think you'd lock Willow up in a nut house if she told you she was a vampire slayer who had a calling to fight the creatures of the night," Tony said bluntly.

Pepper grimaced. "I guess not. Poor girl," she said with a sigh.

"At the very least, Buffy could have proven she was exceptionally strong," Tony said. "I didn't see clear evidence of that when she was fighting the vampire, but she can use a sword like a professional."

"What about the other girl—Xander's girlfriend?" Pepper asked.

"The Pepper Potts wannabe?" he asked with a grin. "She's the daughter of a very wealthy man—one who is not paying his taxes, though. She's spoiled and intelligent. Things have always come easy for her, and her becoming friends with your daughter's friends is very surprising."

"She is one of those who kept seeing what was happening in the town and couldn't deny it anymore," Pepper guessed.

"Yes, she's thrown her hat in with the group of misfits—very surprising," Tony said. "She has hidden depths."

"These kids, Tony, what are we going to do to help them?" Pepper asked. "We have to do something, but my hands are tied. I have no rights where Willow is concerned. I don't like that her friends weren't very complimentary about her parents. They seemed so nice, Tony. I had no reason to suspect they weren't the perfect parents. I want to know her, but I don't want to fight her parents over her."

"Well, school is out in another week," he said. "Do you think we could get them out of town for the summer at least? The Malibu house has five extra rooms in it. Of course, my New York place is very roomy too."

"I'll speak to Willow about it. If she asks her parents, they might say yes," Pepper said. "There are several colleges in New York area she can check out."

"Then New York it is," Tony said, glad to have a plan. "Princeton isn't far. Columbia is decent. NYU. But, of course, M. I. T."

They got up to walk out, and Tony put his arm around her shoulder. She was glad he was there as the situation was very difficult. If he wasn't here, she wasn't sure what she would've done. Hearing about hellmouths and vampires would have been too much to face on her own.

Pepper really hoped Willow's parents would allow her to visit Pepper. Now that she'd met Willow, she couldn't imagine her not having Willow in her life. Of course, knowing she was living in such a dangerous town made her more determined to get her away even if it was just for the summer.

"What if they say no?" she said, voicing her fear.

"Well, we won't take no for an answer," Tony said, determined. There was no way he was going to let Pepper be disappointed. Never had she truly asked him for help in a personal matter, and he wasn't going to fail this time.

*****_Chapter End*****_

_The show never really confirmed why people were so oblivious, but fanfiction writers normally agree that there was something that kept people there. I went with the easiest explanation._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Runaway

_*****The Next Day*****_

When Pepper made it to the hospital the next morning, Willow's parents still weren't there. They felt Willow would be ready to be discharged after one more day. Tony brought the ladies breakfast, and they were eating when Xander arrived.

"Hey, Willow," Xander said. "Good morning, Mr. Stark, Miss Potts."

"Please, call me, Tony," Tony said.

"Really?" Xander asked. Then he shook his head. "Not important right now. Willow, I hope you're feeling okay. Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine. I should get out tomorrow," Willow said.

"That's good 'cause I have some bad news," Xander said. "Mrs. Summers called my house this morning, and she said that Buffy never came home."

"That's not true! I escorted her home myself," Tony insisted.

"Did you see her go inside? Maybe another vamp attacked or something?" Willow asked.

"Yes, I watched her climb the tree and go in through her bedroom window," Tony said.

"Tony, you didn't!" Pepper scolded.

"She insisted," Tony said defensively.

"That's her normal way, so that's good," Willow said dismissively.

"Why is that good?" Xander asked.

"It means no demons attacked and dragged her off somewhere," Willow explained. "It means she left on her own."

"You think she ran away?" Pepper asked, frowning.

Willow and Xander exchanged a look. "Maybe," Xander said. "She did have to kill Angel even though he was all Soul Boy again."

"Or maybe she went to her dad's. She did that last summer," Willow said.

"Mrs. Summer said she didn't," Xander said. "I did ask that."

"She got into that fight with her mom," Pepper said, looking at Tony. "Right? Didn't you say that last night?"

Tony nodded. "Yes, she said her mom told her not to come back if she left. She told her mother that she was a vampire slayer. Her mother didn't take it very well," he said. "But I talked to her mom—she didn't mean it. I told Buffy that she didn't mean it—her mother loved her."

"But Buffy might not have believed that. And love is the not the same as acceptance," Pepper pointed out. "She's probably devastated, especially since she just went through the trauma of killing the man she loved after losing a friend."

"A town like this probably doesn't have cameras we could access, huh?" Tony said, looking at the teens.

Willow shook her head. "Not really. The bank has one," she said. "The courthouse."

"She doesn't drive?" Pepper asked.

"No," Xander said.

"Then she took a bus out of town if she left," Tony said.

"But we don't know if she left town," Willow said.

"Yes, it's kind early," Xander said. "She could still be in town."

"So we wait," Willow said.

"In the meantime, I'll have JARVIS check out all the bus routes out of town," Tony said.

"I hope she comes back," Willow said, worried. "Did Mrs. Summers ask Giles? Maybe she's at Giles'!"

"I didn't mention Giles because I didn't know how to explain him to her mom," Xander said. "What would I say? The librarian might know where she is. How was I going to explain that?"

"I guess that would've been a bit hard," Willow said with a wince.

"Who is he again?" Pepper asked.

"He's her Watcher," Xander said.

"He watches her?" Pepper asked in confusion.

"No, well, yea, but it's not creepy like it sounds," Willow said. "There's this whole ancient group called the Watcher's Council in Great Britain. They've been training slayers for generations. Giles is her watcher, and he trains her. Tells her how to kill whatever demon we face. Reads ancient books for prophecies of upcoming doom."

"Like the Harvest when the Master tried the first time to open the hellmouth," Xander added. "That was the fall of our sophomore year."

Pepper looked horrified and reached for Tony's hand. She didn't know how many more of these horrifying revelations she could take.

"Okay, we get it. We know who Giles is," Tony said. "Did he know anything about her whereabouts?"

Xander shook his head. "No, but he said he'd check out Willy's and other demon haunts," Xander said.

"You have demon haunts?" Pepper asked weakly.

"Did you not get it about this being a town built on a hellmouth?" Xander asked. "There's a gateway to an actual hell dimension below the school's library."

"It's _under _the school?" Pepper asked, her terror apparent. She looked at Willow. "You go to school over a door to hell?" How many more of these revelations was she going to have to take?

"And I thought my school was hell," Tony joked.

Pepper elbowed him. "That's not funny," she said. She had to get her daughter away from this town. Disbelief and terror were at war inside her, and she felt Tony's hand on her shoulder, trying to reassure her. For some reason, his touch stilled the panic.

"Well, it's not as bad as it sounds," Willow assured her. "Most of the time, you don't notice there's even a hellmouth. It's only when demons and other idiots try to open it that it's a problem. That's where Buffy comes in. She keeps it from opening, and we help her."

They were interrupted by the appearance of the Rosenbergs. While Peppy fretted that they'd push her out of Willow's life, Tony watched the couple's interaction with Willow. There was clear affection, but Willow seemed guarded and anxious in their presence.

"I can't believe that your friend Bunny killed someone," Sheila said after greetings and introductions were over. "I knew she was bad news after her expulsion from that school in L.A."

"Her name is Buffy, Mom, not Bunny, and Buffy never killed anyone!" Willow said.

"That's true," Tony said. "I've already spoken to the police captain this morning, and all charges are being dropped. There were eyewitnesses that put her on the other side of town at the time of the murder, not to mention Willow, Xander, and Mr. Giles, the librarian, stated she was not present. In fact, they all gave an ID of the real killer to the police."

"Well, why was she charged?" Ira asked.

"Because the police and principal found her leaning over the body, and the principal, who hates her, jumped to wrong conclusions," Tony said. "She just had the bad luck to be the one to find Kendra's body."

Sheila pursed her lips but said nothing more. She knew who Tony was and how intelligent the man was. He was most likely correct—at least she'd give him the courtesy of not arguing. "The doctor told us that you will be cleared to leave in the morning," she said. "That's good. I wish we knew it wasn't so serious because we had to leave in the middle of our tour. You know how important it is, Willow, to honor your commitments."

"I'm sorry, Mom, that my brain injury was inconvenient for you or that I'm not still unconscious," Willow said with uncharacteristic bitterness.

Ira reached for her hand. "No need to apologize, my dear. This wasn't your fault," he said. "Hooligans shooting up schools across the country, and now we have gang bangers here in Sunnydale brazen enough to attack a school in broad daylight. It's not right."

"No, it's not," Tony agreed.

Pepper was silent, unsure of her place. She didn't like that Sheila seem to be critical of Willow and had to bite her tongue to keep from saying something rude.

"We will leave and let you visit with your daughter," Pepper said, not wanting to be around the woman anymore.

"That's not necessary," Sheila said. "We've not been home yet because we came straight here."

"We wanted to make sure you were okay, dear," Ira said. He leaned down and kissed her cheek.

"I'm good, Dad," she said, smiling up at him.

It was clear to Tony that Willow was much closer to her father than her mother.

"We will be back for dinner," Sheila said. "If you have any requests, please call."

No one spoke until they were gone, Xander said, "I'm going to go cruise around with Cordy and see if we can spot Buffy anywhere."

"Good idea," Willow said. "Call me if you find her."

"Of course," Xander said. "Let Oz know we could use his sense of smell to help track her."

"I will," Willow said. "He stayed with me until about six, so he went home to sleep a few hours."

Xander waved goodbye to Tony and Pepper and left. "So why can Oz's sense of smell help track down Buffy?" Tony asked, never one to miss a detail.

"Oh, well, that's 'cause he's a werewolf, so he has that good sense of smell," Willow admitted.

"Werewolf?" Pepper exclaimed in dismay.

"So, wait, you're telling me that werewolves are real?" Tony asked. "He actually gets furry on the full moon?"

Willow nodded. "Yes, for three days. We just keep him locked up in library on the full moon," she said.

"In the library?" Pepper said. Would the horrific revelations ever stop? This was _not _the life she'd envisioned for her daughter.

"Giles has a cage," Xander explained.

"Of course, he does," Tony said with a grin. "I'm really beginning to love this town."

"I hate it," Pepper mumbled.

"So, back to the point," Xander said. "Yes, I will call Oz this afternoon if Buffy doesn't turn up."

"Keep me posted," Willow called out to him as headed out the door.

"So vampires, demons, and now werewolves," Tony said. "Are there other things?"

"Well, yea," Willow said. "You should go to the library and talk to Giles. He's got books on it."

Tony's eyes lit up, and he turned to Pepper. "Can I please?" he asked her.

Pepper laughed. "Go. Have fun," she said. "But don't bully Mr. Giles."

"I don't bully—I bribe," Tony said smugly.

Willow and Pepper watched him leave, amused. However, her worry for Willow hadn't dissipated—she just knew it wasn't the time to address her many concerns.

"I don't think Giles can be bribed," Willow said after he left.

"That's good. Tony needs to know some people can't be bought," Pepper said, patting her hand. Both enjoyed their time together once more.

*****_A Few Days Later*****_

Giles looked at the billionaire with fond exasperation. The man was like three Xanders and two Willows in one adult body. His energy was boundless and his questions unrelenting. Giles knew some very brilliant people—he himself was quite intelligent. However, Tony Stark's mind worked on a level that Giles had never encountered before. His thirst to know and understand, well, _everything_ was both impressive and exhausting. Somehow, he'd talked Giles into allowing him to scan all his books on the occult. Jenny had cleansed all his books after Willow's unfortunate incident, so he couldn't think of a reason not to allow him. Of course, the man was nearly impossible to say no to.

Tony's mind could operate on so many levels simultaneously—it was both fascinating and overwhelming, especially when he focused that mind on Giles.

"So Buffy is gone—there's no way she can be in town," Tony said. "Statistics show that teenage runaways rarely stray too far from familiar haunts. Most likely, she will be in Los Angeles somewhere."

"That's a real possibility, but she's not contacted her father," Giles said. "And unfortunately, the city is huge."

"Well, Willow's parents have agreed to allow her to spend the summer with Pepper. She'll be touring colleges in New York," Tony shared. Pepper was extremely happy to both remove her daughter from the hellmouth even for a short time and to get the time with her. "We decided to invite Oz and Xander—give those poor kids a break from the hellmouth."

"That's a good idea. The summers here are relatively tame," Giles said.

"I think we'll spend a week or so in Malibu while I try to locate Buffy. JARVIS is now plugged into the Los Angeles grid, so he can access all the city's cameras," Tony shared. "It's only a matter of time before we catch her on film somewhere in the city."

"Well, today is the last day of the term," Giles said. "I will keep using my contacts to look for her outside of Los Angeles."

Xander and Cordelia came into the library with Oz and Willow behind them. "We are _so _ready to be gone from this place for a few months," Xander said.

"Your parents said it was okay?" Giles asked.

"Mine could care less," Xander said. "Cordy's going to Mexico for a few weeks with her parents, and then she'll meet us in New York. Oz is going to travel with his band and eventually join us before we leave for New York."

"The guys are already finding locations to perform in Los Angeles and New York," Oz said with a faint smile.

"I know lots of dives," Tony said. "I can keep you busy."

"Thanks, but we'll manage," Oz said.

"Oz doesn't care about fame," Willow said. "He just wants to play his guitar."

"So any word from miss drama queen yet?" Cordelia asked.

"If you're referring to Buffy, no," Giles said.

"We'll find her," Tony said confidently. "JARVIS is on it."

"I think it's great that your imaginary friend is doing what Giles can't," Cordy said with a smirk.

"I told you, JARVIS, isn't an imaginary friend," Tony said. "He's my A.I."

"He's someone you talk to and confide in like a friend, right?" Cordelia asked.

Tony frowned. "Well, sure," he said.

"And no one can see him, right?" Cordelia said.

"That's because he's a computer, not a figment of my imagination!" Tony insisted.

Cordelia snorted. "You say toma-_toe_, I say to-_mat_-toe!" she said.

Willow rolled her eyes. "Ignore her, Mr. Stark. She can't help being a rude know-it-all," Willow said.

"I'm just teasing," Cordelia said, glaring at Willow.

"Ladies, it's our last hour at school for three glorious months," Xander said. "How about you retract the claws?"

"Why do you do that, Xander? She insults me, and you don't take up for me!" Cordelia said, now glaring at him.

"Come on, Cordy, don't be like that," Xander begged.

"Whatever," Cordelia said, brushing him off. "Oz, have fun traveling with the Dingoes. I'll see you when I see you. Goodbye, Giles. Mr. Stark, thanks for the invitation, but I'm not sure I'll be seeing you in New York." Then she turned and walked out of the library with Xander trailing after her.

"She's so dramatic," Willow said with a sigh.

"All the fun ones are," Tony said with a grin. "I've chased after your mom like that more than once."

"So are you trying to tell me that you and my mom are a couple?" Willow asked with a hopeful grin. "I've been trying to figure it out, but she won't say."

"Well, I'm nuts about her, and she's my person," he said. "I literally can't function without her—she's more necessary to me than caffeine."

"That says a lot," Oz observed.

"So you love her?" Willow asked.

"She's the only person in my life who I've ever truly loved, but it took me too long to realize that," Tony shared. "Unfortunately for me, she lived through a lot of my one-night stands."

Willow frowned while Oz winced. "So she doesn't trust that you really love her?" Willow said.

"Let's just say that we're a work in progress," Tony said.

"Well, I'm rooting for you," Willow said, giving him a warm smile.

"Did your mother go home?" Giles asked her.

"She had to go to New York and put out a fire for me," Tony said. "She'll meet us in Malibu in two days."

"I can't believe I get to spend the summer with her!" Willow said excitedly.

"We're pretty excited," Tony said. "I can't wait to get you two in my lab. I need some smart assistants. Currently, my two robots that help normally aren't really making the cut."

Willow was beyond excited and still couldn't believe that her parents were letting her spend so much time with Tony and Pepper. She knew it had a bit to do with who Tony was and the doors he could open for her future. Sheila had already mentioned that to her. Ira had some family in New York City, so they were quite content with the idea of her going to college there. Willow hadn't really given it much thought as she couldn't imagine leaving Buffy.

"So, Giles, if Kendra was called after Buffy died for a minute," Tony began, "shouldn't there be another slayer called?"

Giles looked thoughtful. "Well, the slayer line should no longer run through Buffy since she did die and another was called," he said. "That's a good point. I should call the Council and have them search. We can get the new slayer here. As active as this hellmouth is, it's a good thing to have two."

"Not to mention, Buffy could decide to go away for college, too," Willow said excitedly. She really hoped that Tony found Buffy, and she joined them for the summer.

Losing Angel would be devastating for her friend, and Willow knew isolation was never a good way to get over heartbreak.

She really hoped they found Buffy soon.

*****_Chapter End*****_

_Are you still liking this story? I hope so. Reviews make my day, so take a minute to write one! Thanks!_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Malibu

*****_Two Weeks Later*****_

Willow couldn't believe how amazing Malibu was. Tony's house was so cool, but his lab downstairs was the best thing ever. He had these cool robots, and he let Willow work with them. She and Oz wanted to work on their own design for a robot, and he was showing them how to do it. He even shared his Iron Man work with her, surprised she could follow his conversations. Willow was fast developing a crush on the man, but when he was around her mom, she knew that Tony's heart was taken.

"Pepper, your daughter might be as smart as I am," Tony told her at dinner. Oz spent the first week with her there, but now he was doing a week tour with his band in places around Los Angeles County while Xander went with Giles to meet with Buffy's dad. They still hadn't found her.

Willow blushed, not used to compliments. "I don't think it's possible to be smarter than you," she said to him.

Pepper beamed proudly at her. "Well, you have the advantage of knowing when you're hungry and tired. Tony doesn't always know that," she said, smirking at him.

Tony grinned. "That's true," he said. He looked at Willow. "So when is your rock star boyfriend done with his tour?"

"He finishes his last gig tomorrow night in Los Angeles," Willow shared.

"We should go and support him," Tony said.

"You know _you_ can't just go anywhere, Tony," Pepper warned. "You might get mobbed."

"The people that go to those kind of places won't notice me," Tony said. "I'll wear a hat."

"I will call Xander since he and Giles are in Los Angeles already," Willow said, pulling out her new cell phone that Pepper gave her. She felt very adult with it.

Pepper looked over at Tony, giving him a smile of approval. He was being so great with Willow and the kids. If she hadn't already loved him, she would now. Although she'd kissed him once or twice since the last kiss when he'd first came out as Iron Man, she'd been reluctant to enter into a relationship with him. As CEO of his company, she didn't want people to think he'd made his assistant CEO because of their relationship. Of course, it _was _because of their relationship since she was the only one in his life that he trusted besides Happy.

"Tony, I love you," she admitted to him for the first time—her voice soft.

Tony's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?" he said, showing a rare touch of vulnerability.

She smiled and nodded. "I do," she said.

Tony grinned and stood to his feet, and then he reached for her hand, pulling her up. He was kissing her as if he was a starving man, and she was a buffet when Willow looked up from her phone.

Willow's eyes bugged out and a gasp fell from her lips. "Ah, should I leave?" she asked. Not once had the couple really indicated they were in a physical relationship. Of course, they were connected in a way she'd never experienced before. Her mother knew what Tony was going to say or do before he opened his mouth or did anything. It was vastly amusing to the teens who saw her in action. Their admiration for Willow's mother grew every time they witnessed Pepper's near psychic ability with Tony. Tony was such a larger than life figure, but Pepper handled him so effortlessly. It made her mother seem like a goddess. More and more Willow hoped she'd grow up to be just like her mother—the thought produced a warm glow inside her.

Tony—never as oblivious to his environment as Pepper thought—pulled back enough to glance at Willow. "Sorry, kid, but your mother finally admitted to me that she was crazy about me," he said, looking immensely satisfied. "As I am completely in love with her and totally besotted, I had to act. But we'll continue more privately. Don't bother us until tomorrow."

Then he all but dragged a laughing Pepper from the room.

Happy for the couple, Willow couldn't stop grinning.

*****_Los Angeles*****_

Xander and Giles met Willow at the club Oz was performing at. Giles wasn't going to go until Xander assured him that both Pepper and Tony would be there. As Giles did love music, he decided to go. Trying to locate his missing slayer filled up most of his days, and it'd been too long since he'd gotten to relax.

Tony and Pepper were holding hands when they arrived with Willow in tow. Giles hadn't been sure exactly what the relationship status was of the pair, but the hand-holding did give him a clue.

Naturally, Xander had to comment.

"Is there a relationship status update here?" he asked, pointing to the hand holding.

"If you're referring to the fact that Pepper finally admitted she was madly in love with me, then yes," Tony said with a smug smile.

"Don't you mean in a fit of madness I admitted that I loved you?" Pepper asked with a smile.

Xander snickered while Giles glared pointedly at him. Would the teen ever learn tact? Xander, of course ignored Giles. Why did he bother?

"Well, I am happy for you both," Giles said, smiling at the newly formed couple.

"Yes, totally," Xander added.

"There's Oz!" Willow said excitedly. She moved to greet him. Pepper watched with approval as Willow merely hugged her boyfriend.

"I love how sweet Willow and Oz are," Pepper whispered to Tony.

"It's puppy love still," Tony said. "It's impressive that Oz doesn't push for more even though he's older."

"He better not," Pepper said, frowning.

"Relax," Tony assured her. "Oz adores her."

"So you've talked to him?" Pepper asked.

"About having or not having sex with your daughter?" Tony asked with a smirk. "No, of course not."

"Well, maybe you should put it on your agenda," Pepper said.

"Okay, I'll get right on that," Tony said, kissing her neck to hide his grin.

"Hello," Oz said as he and Willow made it to the couple. "I've got a table for you guys in the front."

"What do you think of my incognito outfit?" Tony asked Oz as he followed them to the table.

Oz saw he was wearing a Dingoes Ate My Baby t-shirt, sunglasses and a L.A. Lakers cap. "I'm not sure we've met. Who are you again?" Oz asked with a straight face.

"I'm the president of your fan club," Tony said, holding out his hand.

"I thought _I_ was president of your fan club," Willow said, smiling up at Oz.

"You can be co-presidents," Oz said.

Tony grinned, appreciating the young man's dead-pan sense of humor. He'd never spent much time around teenagers, but these kids were always so entertaining. Each of them was nearly as gifted with the verbal barb as he was, and anytime he managed to get one from Oz, he felt as if he'd accomplished something great. The young man was more self-contained than anyone Tony had ever met. Before spending time with him, Tony might've thought the guy just didn't have anything worthwhile to say. However, the teenager just didn't feel the need to speak unless he really had something to contribute, and he lacked the nervous energy most teenager males had. There was a stillness about him that Tony found oddly soothing. He'd speculated it was his werewolf nature, but Willow said Oz was like that before he got bit. The fact that the teen didn't feel the need to conform to _any_ norms earned Tony his respect and admiration.

"When does your set start?" Pepper asked.

"In five minutes," Oz said. He looked at Willow. "I'll see you on my break, okay?"

"Sure. I'll order you a drink," Willow said.

"Thanks," Oz said, squeezing her hand before walking off.

"I really like that guy," Tony said.

"Yes, Oz is cool," Xander said with a sigh.

"Jealous, huh?" Tony asked with a grin.

"Oz is cool without even trying," Xander said glumly. "Everyone likes him—even the guys who hate everyone. I don't know how he does it."

"He's Oz," Willow said with a shrug. "I'm going to go get some drinks."

"I'll go with you," Xander said.

Tony and Pepper sat across from Giles. "Did you find out anything from Buffy's dad?" Tony asked.

Giles shook his head. "No. He insists that she's not so much as called. Nor has she been in touch with her old friends in town," Giles said.

"She'll turn up," Tony said. "I'm pretty confident we'll find her. I've got eyes everywhere."

The band started, and the teens returned with drinks. Before Tony could take a sip, though, JARVIS spoke in his ear. "Sir, I have found Miss Summers," he said.

"You did?" Tony asked. The noise was too loud, though, so he excused himself and went outside.

"She is not far from you," JARVIS told him. Tony looked around and didn't see anyone.

"To the north," JARVIS said.

Tony turned and walked in that direction, and then there she was. Buffy was walking in a straight line, not looking left or right, so she didn't notice Tony, who crossed the street and was right in front of her.

"Fancy seeing you here," Tony said, causing her to look up.

Buffy gave a mental groan. This was not good. "Hey, Tony," she said, glancing warily up at him.

"You do realize that everyone who loves you is worried sick about you?" he said. "Does that matter to you?"

"Tell them I'm fine," Buffy said, trying to brush pass him.

However, Tony wasn't about to let her escape so easily. "Not so fast, little girl," he said.

"I'm not a little girl, and you can't stop me," Buffy said, knocking his hand off her shoulder.

Tony debated on how to handle her, and he moved to keep step with her. "I know having to kill Angel was hard," he said.

Buffy stopped and looked at him. "What do you know about it? Have you ever had to kill the woman you love and send her to a hell dimension to be tormented forever?" she asked.

Tony winced. "Well, no," he admitted. "But I know what it's like to have to kill an uncle, the only family I had left. He tried to remove me from my company after selling me to terrorists didn't work out. Then he tried again to kill me."

"My mother threw me out," Buffy said, refusing to acknowledge the kinship his words stirred in her. "She can't deal with what I am."

"Your mother was upset and didn't react well," Tony said. "It doesn't mean she doesn't love you. It doesn't mean that she's not missing you. She wants you to come home."

"I'm not ready," Buffy said. "I don't want to go back to Sunnydale. Not yet."

"Well, Willow and your friends are spending the summer with me and Pepper," Tony said. "How about you join us?"

Buffy examined in closely, trying to determine if he was serious or not. "For real?" she asked.

He nodded. "Absolutely. They're hanging in my Malibu house now, but we're going to be going to New York City soon. Then we'll go around and look at colleges and do New York City tourist stuff, too," he said.

"Willow's parents agreed?" Buffy asked in surprise.

"Yes," he said. "They're traveling most of the summer anyway, and they liked the idea of Willow checking out MIT, Columbia, Princeton, Harvard, and NYU. I'm sure they'll be some others thrown in there, too."

Buffy considered the idea. "I'm not sure I'm really up for weeks with my friends," she admitted.

"They care about you, Buffy," he said. "They should know what you're going through, so they can help you."

"Xander hated Angel, so he won't really care. Angelus killed Giles' girlfriend, and Willow restored his soul minutes too late," she said flatly. "How can knowing exactly what happened do anything for them? Willow shouldn't have to feel bad for trying to help. This isn't there fight, and my life has hurt them too much as it is."

Tony acknowledged that she had a point. "Well, I get that. But it's their choice to fight—just like it's mine to put on my suit and stop being just a playboy philanthropist. And you don't have to tell all of them. They understand you're sad because you had to kill him," he said. "You probably should tell your Watcher, though."

"I don't know," she said. "Besides, I don't think my mom will like knowing what I am and what I have to do."

"You ran off and left your mom to worry for weeks. Do you really care that much what your mother would like?" he asked bluntly.

Buffy glared at him. "Of course, I care about my mother!" she insisted. "She told me to leave, so I left."

"It didn't occur to you that she'd be worried sick?" he asked.

Buffy shrugged. "No, not really," she admitted. She was too busy wallowing in her guilt and heartbreak to think much about her mother. More proof that she sucked as a daughter, too.

Tony couldn't help but feel bad for the girl. "Look, I know things haven't been easy for you, kid. You have been dealt a crap hand all the way around," he said.

"I am _not _a kid!" she growled.

Tony sighed. "Yea, I know," he said quietly. "But you should be. You should be able to have fun with your friends and forget about the shit destiny you have—at least for a while."

Wouldn't that be nice? Buffy would love to forget for even a short bit that her life wasn't full of danger and heartbreak.

Tony could sense that she was relenting and pressed forward. "Why don't you come to the club I just came out of?" he suggested. "Listen to some music, get a coke."

"Are you alone?" she asked suspiciously.

"Of course not," he said. "Happy, my security guard and best bud is right over there. Wave at him." Tony waved at a large man watching from across the street. "Pepper's waiting for us inside. I didn't tell her why I stepped outside, so we should go in."

"Why did you step outside?" Buffy asked.

"JARVIS saw you on a camera and told me where you were," Tony said. "I've been looking for you since you left Sunnydale."

"Really?" Buffy asked in surprise. "Why?"

Tony could see that she really didn't seem to get how important she was to everyone. "Because I love Pepper, and her daughter was freaking out about your disappearance," he said. "And I felt a bit guilty as I was the last to see you, and I knew how bad things were for you."

Buffy knew he wasn't going to stop pushing, so she relented and walked across the street with him. As they entered the club, Tony said, "Oh, I guess I should tell you that your friends already know that Angel was souled before he died."

"What?" she demanded.

"Buffy!" Willow called out.

"Oh, and your friends and your Watcher are also here," Tony added with a smirk.

"I am going to kill you!" Buffy threatened, clenching her fists.

"Taller men than you have tried," he said, winking at her as her friends and Giles moved to hug her.

Buffy let them hug her, unsure of what to do next.

*****_To Be Continued*****_

_Yes, I didn't drag out the hunt for Buffy. Because Buffy isn't gone but a few weeks, the storyline of season 3 events will be altered. As some of you were wondering, I am just letting all those people stay in the hell dimension. Choices and action have consequences. Buffy's time away hurt a lot of people, but she saved a lot of people with her foray into the hell dimension. I'm focusing, though, on her mental well-being and not on that episode some wanted to see, and others didn't. I could work it in at some point, but I've not gotten to it. We'll be in the summer for several more chapters. Your enthusiasm and interest in this story keeps me focused, so keep up with the reviews. Thanks a lot!_


	5. Chapter 5

**Remember, this is not the Buffy from season 3 that disappeared for over three months. I've written her like I'd picture an emotionally traumatized and heartbroken slayer to be while the events are still just a few weeks old.**

Chapter 5: Facing Them

_******Where We Left Off******_

Buffy's friends were relieved and very happy to see her.

"Are you okay? Where have you been? We've been so worried! Why didn't you call?" the questions came from Willow and Xander as they hugged her.

"I'm sorry," Buffy said softly. "I just needed some time."

"We understand," Willow said with compassion. "I'm sorry I didn't get the spell done sooner to stop the entire mess."

The music started as the band began, so they had trouble conversing. When it was over, Giles said, "Let's relocate to a quieter place."

"My diner isn't too far from here," Buffy said.

"Diner? You have a diner?" Xander asked.

"I have been working there as a waitress," she explained.

Willow spoke to Oz, who promised to meet up with them later, and then the group relocated.

They commandeered the only large round booth with Buffy in between Willow and Xander and Tony and Giles on each outside end. Pepper was between Willow and Tony. Buffy didn't really like all the focus, but she resigned herself to the inquisition.

However, her friends surprised her, regaling her with tales of their time at Tony's Malibu house and summer plans instead of jumping into the inquisition.

"The place is so cool, Buffy," Willow said.

"So what's good here?" Tony asked, looking at the menu.

"The pie," Buffy said.

Tony grinned and told the server to bring them all a piece of the house pie.

"You need to call your mother," Giles said. "She's been worried sick—both of your parents are."

Buffy felt a flash of guilt. "I know," she said with a sigh.

Tony handed her his cell phone. "No time like the present," he said.

Buffy took his phone and stared down at it a moment before dialing home. It was just a phone—it couldn't actually hurt her.

"Mom?" she asked when her mother answered.

"Buffy? Oh, God, Buffy, I've been so worried. Are you okay? Where are you?" Joyce asked in a rush.

"I'm fine, Mom. Sorry for worrying you so much. I've been in Los Angeles," she said.

"Your father said you weren't there! He lied to me!" her mother raged.

"No, he didn't, Mom. He doesn't know," Buffy assured her.

Joyce was silent a moment. "Oh," she finally said. "Giles explained what happened with Angel. I'm sorry, honey."

"Thanks," Buffy said, surprised.

"Are you coming home?" her mom asked.

"I don't know," Buffy said. "Would you be upset if I didn't?"

"I miss you, Buffy. I want you to come home," Joyce said. "We need to work things out."

"Okay," Buffy said. It wasn't her mother's fault that things went so crappy in her life—that was the life of a slayer.

"I love you," Joyce said.

"I love you, too," she said.

She hung up and gave the phone back to Tony. "Thanks," she said.

"What did your mom say?" Willow asked.

"She's anxious to see me," Buffy said.

"So you heading home to Sunnyhell?" Xander asked.

"I guess," Buffy said without much enthusiasm.

"I want you to know that Mr. Stark made sure that Snyder couldn't expel you and got the charges dropped," Giles told her.

"Really? Thanks," Buffy said, giving Tony a grateful look. "I so don't want to deal with that troll."

"You will have to complete your finals, though, to get your semester credits," Giles said.

"Okay," Buffy said, pleasantly surprised.

She was surprised how easy it was to be with her friends again as they filled her in on what they'd been doing since school went out. It was good to see them excited and not stressing about the hellmouth.

"So are you going to go back with Giles tonight?" Willow asked her.

"It is far too late for travel," Tony said. "I have all of us rooms at the Wilshire Beverly downtown."

"I have an apartment," Buffy said. "I can meet you for breakfast at the hotel in the morning."

Willow and Xander both looked at Giles as neither wanted her to be left alone for the night.

"Frankly, Buffy, we've spent a few weeks looking for you as you were irresponsible and thoughtless enough to leave without a word to any of us," Giles said, causing her friends to wince at his frank words. "Although we all understand the pain you're in, it does not excuse you skirting your responsibilities and leaving all of us—including your mother—worried sick."

"What he's trying to say with all those words is you're staying at the hotel with Willow," Tony said flatly. He agreed whole heartedly with Giles, but his heart felt for the girl. She'd been dealt a crappy hand all around.

Buffy felt Giles' words like a body blow, but she took it without flinching. He wasn't wrong to chastise her, but she didn't know if she could continue being his slayer anymore. However, she didn't really have the energy to fight him. "Fine," she said in resignation.

When they made it into the hotel, Buffy was mostly shut down. Willow knocked on the door connecting to her mom's room. "It's open," Tony called out.

Willow stepped inside and shut the door. "Sorry to bother you," she said.

"It's never a bother," Pepper said.

"It could be," Tony said with a wink. "But I'd have the door locked if we were having a real good time in here."

"Tony!" Pepper scolded in vain as he just grinned unashamed.

Willow laughed, always entertained by Tony and his interaction with her mother. They were so fascinating.

"What's wrong? Is Buffy okay?" Pepper asked.

"I'm not sure," Willow said. "She seems really closed off. I'm not sure what to do to help her."

"She left for a reason," Pepper said. "She wanted to escape her life and what she had to do. It'll take some time."

"What should I do?" Willow asked.

"Just be there for her. Give her the space she needs," Pepper advised. "When she's ready to talk to you, she will."

Willow nodded. "Okay. Thanks," she said. She hugged her mom and went back to her room.

"How are we going to help Buffy?" Pepper asked Tony after Willow closed the door behind her.

"I've got some ideas," Tony said with a smirk.

"I figured," Pepper said, giving him a fond smile.

"First, I'm going to go have a talk with Rupert about that Council of his. He's been so focused on finding Buffy that I've not really bothered him about it," Tony said. "But I have questions—lots of questions."

"I have some myself," Pepper said. "Why don't you call his room and see if he'll come join us?"

Tony did just that, and Giles arrived shortly.

"Can I offer you a drink?" Tony asked, pouring a scotch for himself in a glass. His room came stocked with a full bar.

"Bourbon if you have any," Giles said.

"I do," Tony said, pouring a splash in a tumbler and handing it to him. He looked at Pepper, who shook her head.

"How's the room?" Pepper asked.

"It's lovely," Giles said. "I would've been happy sharing with Xander."

"No man is happy sharing a room with a teenage boy," Tony said with a knowing grin. "Besides, I told Oz to stay in his room and paid Xander $50 to tell me if he sneaks into Willow's bed after the lights go out."

"What?" Pepper asked, looking at him in dismay.

Tony just grinned. "I gotta keep these kids on their toes," Tony said.

Giles laughed, appreciating his conniving nature. "You know that Oz would not be so bold," he said.

"Yes, I do," Tony said. "But I learned something about Xander—who took the money—and it lets them know I'm watching."

"Xander would have no qualms about taking your money, especially when he knows he won't have to rat out his friends," Pepper said. "He strikes me as being very pragmatic."

"I know," Tony said in clear approval.

Giles wasn't always sure how to take the man, who was too wealthy and entitled than was proper. However, Giles couldn't fault the man's compassion, generosity, or rapid-fire intelligence. The things he picked up on with the children impressed Giles, who knew them so well only because he'd spent two years in their constant company. He was curious to discover what the man wanted to discuss with him.

"So we have a few questions for you about your employers," Tony asked. "Tell me how they work. How big an organization they are. How they tend to treat the slayers."

"Who's in charge of this council?" Pepper asked.

Giles knew that Tony could discover many things on his own, but he didn't feel it was a betrayal to share some basic information, including Quentin's name and how the council worked.

"So they normally just take these potentials from their families?" Pepper asked.

Giles nodded. "Yes. Buffy was not discovered until she was activated—it was highly unusual. Her first Watcher, Merrick, was killed by the first Master vampire Buffy had to defeat when the vampire and his minions invaded her school. Buffy was expelled for burning down the gym, but she really saved dozens of her classmates. This happened prior to her moving to Sunnydale," Giles said.

Tony and Pepper shared a look. "That explains it," Tony said. "JARVIS researched all Willow's friends, and we found out that Buffy spent a few weeks institutionalized shortly after that."

"She must've tried to tell her parents about being a slayer, and they had her committed," Pepper said in disgust.

"That would help explain why their marriage fell apart as Buffy has always spoken very fondly of her father," Giles said. His slayer had never shared that with him, but he could imagine how deep that betrayal cut. Her running away now in the face of her mother's apparent rejection made more sense. Guilt for his reprimand hit him as he considered the best way to proceed with her.

"And her mom didn't react well to being forced to face what her daughter is and what Sunnydale is," Tony said.

"Joyce is a fine woman," Giles said. "She loves her daughter, and I know that she will come around to supporting her after a time."

"I agree," Tony said. "But it's a lot for her to take—it's been a lot for Pepper and me, and Willow doesn't have the same burden as Buffy."

"And yet she chooses to share it—they all do," Giles said. "They are extraordinary children."

"They are," Pepper said. She'd grown close to her daughter in such a short time and fond of her friends and her frenemy Cordelia.

"Killing a lover to save the world isn't something I could do," Tony said. "If I had to choose between Pepper and the rest of the world, I'd let everyone burn."

"Don't say that," Pepper admonished.

"Why not? It's the truth," he said with a careless shrug. "I don't think it's because I love you more than Buffy loved Angel because we all know how passionately teenagers can love."

"It would've been easier if Willow didn't complete the spell," Giles said somberly. "That type of choice is not one anyone should ever have to make."

"And yet she did it," Tony said. "And what is her reward? Does she get a bonus? Does the council even pay these slayers or are they just expendable? Now that poor Kendra is dead does that mean another is called or is it back to being just all on Buffy's shoulders?"

Giles looked uncomfortable as he admitted, "Slayers don't get a paycheck from the council."

"What?" Pepper asked, shocked.

"It was deemed inappropriate as the slayer's calling is her sacred duty," Giles said.

"These are _children _basically being forced into service, and they get no compensation?" Pepper asked, outraged.

"I'm afraid not—not ever in the history of the Council," Giles said, clearly uncomfortable with the fact. It was a reality that never made much sense to him.

"But they pay the watchers? The girls actually get injured and die on the battlefield and their families receive no compensation?" Tony asked, his anger building.

"That's the way it's been for generations," Giles said weakly.

"Well, that's not going to work for me," Tony said, grim. "I'm going to schedule a meeting with the Prime Minister of Great Britain and see how read in he is on this abuse of power."

Giles was alarmed. "I'm not sure that's the best course of action," he advised. "How about we speak with Travers first?"

"That's a good idea. We'll take Buffy home and then fly to London," Tony said.

Giles wasn't about to argue as he free trip home was a gift horse, after all.

*****_The Next Day*****_

To say Buffy's friends were horrified when they saw the place that she'd been living was an understatement. Buffy had been in too much of a fog to be bothered by how rundown the place was. Now, however, she felt a flush of embarrassment.

"It's not much," she said. She grabbed her bag and shoved her clothes in it.

"I think the fact that you managed to get a job and a place to live without anyone's help shows how brave and resourceful you are," Pepper said, smiling at her.

Buffy gave her a small smile. Pepper was so nice—no wonder Willow was so sweet. Sheila never struck Buffy as particularly warm or loving.

"Do you think your mom will let you go to New York with us in a few weeks?" Willow asked.

Buffy shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe," she said.

"I hope so," Willow said. "It won't be the same without you."

Buffy gave her a small smile, grateful for her support.

Pepper took Willow, Oz, and Xander back to Tony's Malibu house while Tony drove Giles and Buffy home.

Joyce was relieved to have Buffy whole and in front of her. "Thanks for finding her," she said to Giles.

"I'm not sure I can take credit as it was Tony who found her," Giles said.

"JARVIS traced her on camera," Tony said with a shrug.

"I'm going out of town for a bit with Tony," Giles said. "I will call and check in with you, Buffy."

"Okay," she said.

Giles was disturbed by how listless his slayer was.

"Is she okay?" Joyce asked as Buffy went up to her room.

"Not really," Giles said. "It's going to take time. Willow restored Angel's soul, but it was too late. Buffy still had to kill him to stop the end of the world. That's not something she can forget so easily."

Joyce looked sick. "I can't believe this is my baby's world. It's not right! I think she needs a break from all this slaying stuff. Maybe you should not call her," Joyce said.

"Maybe you should let her go with the kids and me to New York to check out colleges in a few weeks?" Tony suggested. "A supervised change of scenery might be just thing."

"Maybe. Let's see how she feels," Joyce said.

They said goodbye and walked back to Tony's limo. "Joyce seemed angry with me," Giles remarked.

"You represent all that's wrong with Buffy's life," Tony said. "I wouldn't take it personally."

Giles knew Tony was probably right. Joyce was going to have to come to terms with what Buffy was and the fate she could only escape in death.

*****_The Next Day*****_

Tony whistled as the limo pulled up to the castle Giles said was the headquarters for the Watchers Council. "Some digs," he commented. "Obviously, they're not hurting financially, and yet they think they can keep their slayer basically in a life of indentured servitude."

Giles knew the man had a point, but he tried to explain. "They don't see it that way. They see it as upholding tradition," he said.

Tony gave a snort of disgust. "Tradition said women should be barefoot and pregnant and humans could be used as slaves," he said. "Traditions are not always moral, nor should they automatically be continued."

"That is true," Giles acknowledged. He had the same argument many times with his own father but didn't tell Tony that.

Giles had the foresight to call ahead and schedule a meeting with Travers. He knew Tony was very impatient and would blast his way to the man one way or another. The British rarely dealt with a man such as Tony. He was a registered weapon of mass destruction. The blue glow from his chest was only hidden by his three-piece suit—he decided to dress up with this particular showdown. Giles had been amused by Tony's very expensive attire when he came out of his quarters on the private jet. Clearly, he was trying to make a statement.

They were shown to Travers office, but they were kept waiting for twenty minutes.

"Okay. This is ridiculous," Tony said, rising to his feet. He went to the secretary. "If your boss doesn't open that door in the next two minutes, I will break it down."

As the woman knew who Tony was, she pushed the button on her phone. "Giles Rupert and Tony Stark to see you now, sir," she said.

"Thank you," Tony said. He looked at Giles, who followed him into the office.

"Rupert, it's good to see you," Quentin said, holding out his hand.

"You, too," Giles said. "Quentin, may I present Tony Stark."

"I almost didn't believe Rupert when he said you were requesting a meeting," Quentin said, shaking Tony's hand.

"Well, I've gotten to know all the players in Sunnydale recently, and I cajoled Rupert into bringing me to meet you," Tony said with an easy smile.

"Please, have a seat," Quentin said, gesturing to his two chairs across from his desk. He went around and sat in his chair. "How can the Watchers Council help Iron Man?"

"So even the Brits in England are aware of who I am?" Tony asked, unsurprised.

"Of course," Quentin said. "Rupert says that your CEO is the biological mother of our slayer's best friend, Willow Rosenberg."

"That is correct," Tony said. "Pepper is the most important person in my life. I cannot function well without her, nor would my company. She just recently told me that she'd given up a child for adoption in high school after the Rosenbergs contacted her when Willow was hospitalized."

"Yes, Drusilla," Quentin said, shaking his head. "I cannot believe that vampire still alludes the slayer. Her lover Spike has killed two slayers in the past two centuries, and now she has killed Kendra."

"I'm surprised you care that much," Tony said. "It seems to me that you guys find these slayers pretty expendable."

Quentin glanced at Giles, who remained silent—this was Tony's show. "I wouldn't say that. We value our slayers. However, the council fights evil. The Slayer is the instrument with which we fight. The Council remains. The Slayers... Change. It's been that way from the beginning," he said.

"So I've been told. What I want to know is how exactly are you supporting your slayer?" Tony asked. "Buffy Summers is an American citizen. If I told the President how you are using one of our citizens—a minor at that—I'm not sure he would like that at all."

"Rupert Giles is there to support her. We sent Kendra there when we got word of a darkness rising," Quentin said. Being questioned by anyone made him angry, but he knew better than to show it. He'd done his homework on Tony Stark. There was nothing this man enjoyed more than a verbal battle. He'd made mincemeat of his own government in the special council they'd called when he came out as Iron Man. He was too intelligent and arrogant for his own good, but he wouldn't find any of the councilmen an easy target, however.

"You don't pay her, though, do you? You don't give them bonuses for stopping an actual world ending event, yet your offices are in this extremely expensive building," Tony said in disapproval. "This is going to change, and I don't care if I have to go to your Prime Minister to get that change. You are going to support Buffy Summers, so that teenagers without her abilities don't feel compelled to back her up on the hellmouth."

"We have told Rupert many times that civilians are not to be involved. He does not listen," Quentin said, glaring at Giles.

Giles glared back. "You know that Buffy is not council raised, and she would not listen to any of those restrictions. I threw out the handbook the first week of meeting her," he said. "And I've had much success with her—as you well know."

"Yes, well, your results are impressive," Quentin acknowledged. "She has defeated three Master vampires—four if you count her handling of Spike—within her first two years."

"What about the new slayer?" Tony asked. "Didn't Kendra's death call another?"

Quentin nodded. "Yes. A young slayer named Faith Lehane in Boston. We've already dispatched Diane Lassiter as her Watcher. Fortunately, she'd been identified six months ago as a potential, so she'd already started working with Diane," he said.

"I would like her contact info," Tony said. "New York isn't far, and if she ever needs assistance, I want her and her watcher to know I would be happy to assist."

"I doubt that would ever be warranted, but I can give you the information," Quentin said.

"Are you going to send her to Sunnydale?" Giles asked.

"Do you feel she is needed?" Quentin asked.

"It's a hellmouth," Tony said, a look of incredulity on his face. "_Why_ would she not be there? Do you have any bigger hotspot in the world than Sunnydale?"

"Not currently, but we do have other hellmouths," Quentin said.

"How old is this new slayer?" Tony asked.

Quentin open a file on his desk and then said, "Fifteen."

Tony winced. "How is this okay with you guys? You allow a girl barely out of childhood to kill monsters! She isn't emotionally developed to do such a thing!" he said, outraged.

"We have no control over who is called. This system was set up eons ago," Quentin said easily.

"And God forbid you seek to do anything to really help, huh?" Tony said.

"I took this meeting out of respect for who you are," Quentin said. "But make no mistake, the Watcher's Council has been around for centuries and will be around long after you and I are gone from this Earth."

"I'm not saying it shouldn't be. I'm saying that times change. Women got the vote, and blacks aren't slaves anymore," Tony said.

"I am aware of that," Quentin said impatiently. "We do not abuse our slayers."

"That's debatable," Giles said, unable to remain silent.

"Well, let me be blunt. If you don't start treating your slayers as more than a disposable tool, I will tear down this entire enterprise," Tony said flatly. He stood to his feet. "I will focus my considerable intellect, my resources, and my reputation on letting the world know all about your exploitation of young women. I don't care if I have to share the supernatural world with everyone on this planet at the same time—I hate secrets. I don't live in secret, and I won't allow your operation to either if you don't start paying your slayers a salary and give them both death and life benefits like you would any other employee on your payroll. It blows my mind that your entire reason to exist is because of the slayer, and yet you treat her as if she is nothing more than a weapon. If she won't toe the line, well, another one will come along."

Quentin bit back his temper as he knew that Tony Stark was not a man to make idle threats. He also knew that Tony was a narcissist and would take up the challenge if he saw Quentin as someone trying to challenge him.

"I am not unreasonable—nor is our leadership," Quentin said. "I will be happy to submit your proposal to the rest of the Council."

"I'm sure my mother will support it," Giles said.

"No doubt," Quentin said with a faint smile.

"Thank you," Tony said. He looked at Giles. "So are you ready? I'm looking forward to meeting your mother."

Giles gave a long-suffering smile. "I suppose," he said.

Quentin's smile this time was real as he stood to walk them out. "I look forward to hearing all about it," he said.

After Tony left the office, Giles paused and turned back to Quentin. "Mother will eat him alive," Giles said.

"It'll be good for him. God knows that man needs to be taken down a peg or two," Quentin muttered.

"Sorry, Quentin, but Tony is a force of nature," Giles said. "Once his mind decides on a course of action, there's no stopping him. And you don't want him focusing on you and the Council."

"I'll trust you to keep him distracted," Quentin said pointedly.

"He's fairly distracted with the kids right now actually," Giles said. "He has all of them this summer. Buffy might spend a few weeks, too."

"Well, his intellect and innovation are impressive," Quentin said. "I'm sure he'll be an asset, but he knows nothing of discretion. Please, keep him in line."

"I'll try," Giles said dryly. He walked out of the office and saw Tony smirking at him.

"So Quentin told you to keep me in line, huh?" Tony asked as they walked out of the office area.

"That's a fool's errand," Giles said.

Tony laughed, slapping him on the back.

"Don't sell yourself short, my friend. You're up to the challenge," Tony said. "You corral a superpowered teenager and all her friends daily. I stand in awe of you!"

Giles just shook his head. The man was totally incorrigible, but Giles was growing quite fond of the man. Tony Stark was a good man to have on your side, and Giles would take him any day over Quentin or any other Council man.

*****_Chapter End*****_


	6. Chapter 6

**I know many of you hope for a scene with Tony and the Giles, but I've not came up with one yet. I will try to fit in a flashback scene, but it didn't fit in this chapter. I do realize I have other stories that are overdue for a new chapter, but I've not been very motivated. This story seems to be the one readers are most interested in anyway. Enjoy the update.**

Chapter 6: New York

_*****England*****_

After Stark and Rupert left Quentin, he got on the phone to see if the Council had any leverage when it came to muzzling the American billionaire. Every answer was a variation of the same thing.

"_Tony Stark? Stay away from him!"_

"_Stark is crazy. Don't piss him off."_

"_The man's ego is as big as his bank account, so there's no convincing he's wrong."_

"_He has more energy than a slayer, and you don't want him focusing on you!" _

Disgusted, Quentin hung up the phone. His secretary buzzed his phone. "Sir, Roger Wyndam-Pryce is here to see you."

"Send him in," Quentin said.

A senior member of the council, Roger could always be counted on to support Quentin. "Hello, Quentin," Roger said. "I heard Rupert was in town. Is everything well in the Colonies?"

"Yes, have a sit, Roger. I have much to tell you," Quentin said. He filled him in on his encounter with Tony Stark.

"The Iron Man is becoming involved in Sunnydale? That is not good, Quentin," Roger said. "The man knows nothing of discretion."

"Yes, let's hope that Rupert's parents will put some fear into him," Quentin said. "We cannot afford to have that man getting into our business."

"Paying a salary to the slayer is not very significant," Roger said. "It will make some of the progressives happy. Even my own son has suggested it."

"How is Wesley doing? You know he is next in line to receive a slayer. If Buffy or Faith get killed, he will be sent to the colony," Quentin said.

"He is well. He finished his third graduate degree in ancient languages," Roger said. "I will make sure he is ready for such a commitment. Surely, the next slayer will not be another unruly American."

"Let's hope not," Quentin said. He didn't bother mentioning that being a Watcher of the active slayer was exceedingly dangerous. Rupert had been nearly killed a dozen times, and it was only due to the slayer's ingenuity and allies that the man remained breathing. Of course, he'd never admit such a thing.

*****_Two Weeks Later*****_

Joyce couldn't take watching her daughter wander listlessly around the house like a ghost. After speaking to Giles, she called Buffy downstairs.

"Honey, I spoke to Giles. He said that the new slayer, Faith, is going to arrive with her Watcher tomorrow. He and I agree that it would be good for you to get out of town for a while—go join your friends in New York," she said. It had been decided by the adults that having a new slayer in town for the summer would help ease Buffy's burden. Tony worked to make sure it happened.

Buffy wasn't sure what to think or feel, but she nodded. "Okay," she said. "I've never been to New York. That will be fun."

Joyce smiled. "Great. So go pack your bag—don't forget a swimsuit," Joyce said.

"I will," Buffy said, gifting her mother with a rare smile. A change of scenery had to help because she felt like she was in a fog. Getting some space and perspective could only help.

Two hours later, the car Tony sent arrived. She said goodbye to her mom and got into the car. As the car drove out of Sunnydale, she could feel the tension leave. She probably should've stayed until the new slayer arrived and show her the lay of the land. However, she just didn't feel like herself, and she didn't think it was a good idea to meet the new slayer feeling the way she was feeling. Faith getting an unbiased view of the place was probably not a bad thing. Buffy had left the girl a note. Her mother was having Faith and Faith's watcher for dinner the next day.

Tony had bought the old mansion that Angel crashed at as it was big enough for him and on the edge of the city. He had hired people to renovate it, and they weren't done. However, he insisted that Faith and her watcher make use of the place as it was habitable. Buffy wasn't sure how she felt about people living where Angel used to live. All she knew was that she wasn't ready to face the place without him.

Several hours later, she was in New York City, surrounded by her friends.

"I can't believe you're here!" Willow squealed. Oz, Xander, and Cordy had come with Tony to the airport to meet her.

"I was glad to get out of Sunnydale," Buffy said. "I felt a little bad leaving before the new slayer gets there."

"Your mom's there to show them around," Willow reminded her.

"Yea, I know," Buffy said. "Hopefully, by the time I get back, she'll feel comfortable there."

"Wait 'til you see Tony's tower, Buffy," Willow said. "It's running on clean energy."

"Very cool," Oz said, finally speaking.

"I prefer the limo he lets us ride in," Xander lounging back.

"Well, if you become a billionaire one day, you can have one of your own," Tony said.

"Or he could become a limo driver," Cordelia said with a smirk.

"That's an idea," Xander said with a happy grin. "Or I can do what Happy does. He's your head of security, right?"

"That's his official title," Tony said.

"Happy, how much do you get paid?" Xander asked their driver.

"Not enough," Happy called back.

Tony grinned. "He gets paid three times more than any other head of security in New York," Tony said.

"That's a lot," Oz said.

"Yes, but the cost of living is so high in New York," Willow said.

"I will add head of security to my list of possible careers," Xander said with a smirk.

"Well, we won't find you a job like that in Sunnydale," Cordelia said. "You'll have to come with me Los Angeles if I get into UCLA."

Xander was surprised she referenced them having a future but gave her a happy look.

Willow frowned, not liking the idea of Xander not being in the same place as she. Oz could sense her anxiety and reached for her hand.

"What's the plan?" Xander asked, looking around at the group.

"Tomorrow, we're going to go shopping with mom," Willow said. "She said we can each pick out two new outfits."

"And with matching shoes and accessories. Best of all, she didn't give us a spending limit," Cordelia said happily.

"Nice," Buffy said with a grin.

"She'll take you to the shops we already have accounts set up at," Tony said.

"As long as it's not old-people stores," Cordelia said with a grin.

Buffy looked at Tony to see if he was offended by Cordelia's comment, but he wasn't. Instead, he laughed. "If you were ten years older. . ." he let the words trail off and winked at her.

Cordelia snorted. "Like I'd put up with a man-child like you," she said.

"Cordy, we talked about this," Xander said. "Insulting the hand that feeds us gives me nightmares."

Tony adored this brassy girl. She joined them ten days ago, and the banter between the three of them with an occasional rare zinger from Oz kept him amused. Rarely did grown adults keep his attention for long, but these kids never bored him.

After an evening of entertaining Buffy and getting her to laugh again, the kids settled in for the night.

Pepper was taking off her earrings while Tony was looking at something on his tablet. He looked up. "So I'm seriously loving these kids," he said with a sad sigh.

"That's good," she said. Tony had a short attention span, and she was pleased that he wasn't bored with them already. "I was worried that you'd start feeling trapped with our commitment for the summer. They're a lot of work."

"That's the thing, Pepper—I don't feel that way at all," he said, a note of wonder in his voice. "They're so funny and intelligent. They inspire me, and I don't want them to ever leave us. I have a year to get them all in New York permanently."

Pepper turned and smiled. "I really like seeing this nurturing side of you," she said.

"Really?" he asked, arching an eyebrow. She walked over and climbed into his lap, straddling him.

"Yes," she said, kissing him. "Thank you."

"For what? You can kiss me anytime. Anywhere," he said, giving her a wink.

"Thank you for being the man I knew you could be. Thank you for helping me draw Willow close," she said.

"It's been my pleasure," he said honestly. "I didn't know I'd like teenagers so much."

"How could you not know when you're so much like them?" she teased.

"Ha! Ha!" he said. "I just want to help them all—especially Buffy."

"We should just focus on the summer with the kids, and you can try to reach Buffy," Pepper suggested.

"Me? Why me? You're the one that knows about feelings and stuff," he said.

"I'm not the one that's ever had to kill someone I love," Pepper said, reminding him about his former CEO, who tried to kill him and take his company. The man had been an uncle to Tony—his only family besides her and Tony. He had also been the last real connection to Tony's dad. Tony didn't talk about it much, but she knew the betrayal still hurt.

"Oh," Tony said with a grimace. "You know thinking about him is a real mood killer."

She began unbuttoning his shirt, trailing kisses down his chest. "I have every confidence that you can get back in the mood," she said.

"You are a woman of many talents," he said, letting her pleasantly distract him.

******_The Next Day******_

It was nearly lunch time when they got out for their day of shopping. Pepper insisted they begin with the guys as she knew the male gender would quickly lose interest in shopping. As Tony loved dining at expensive restaurants, she wanted them to have a suit and tie. They were game but had one requirement.

"I need food if we're going to be dressed like Ken dolls," Xander said.

"Ken doll? Thinking highly of yourself this morning, huh?" Cordelia said with a grin.

Xander put his arm around her waist. "Well, since I'm with the hottest of Barbies, it's only fitting," he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Charmed, Cordelia giggled. "Okay, good answer," she replied.

One good thing about Cordelia's stay with them was Willow had mellowed and didn't have the same level of burning dislike for her. Instead of rolling her eyes at their by-play, she smiled.

Buffy grabbed her arm to stop her as the rest climbed into the limo. "What's this? You're not giving Cordy the glare of death?" she asked.

"I think she might be growing on me," Willow admitted sheepishly.

"What? Have you been body-snatched?" Buffy asked with widened eyes.

"No," Willow said. "But I think I'm beginning to understand her."

"Understand Cordelia Chase? No, Willow—that way leads to madness!" Buffy said dramatically.

Willow laughed and climbed into the limo next to Oz.

"So is this what you guys have been doing all summer? Riding around in limos, pretending to be one of the rich and famous?" Buffy asked.

"Yep," Xander said with a grin. "A few times, Tony's been with us and reporters snapped our photos. Each time, Tony's asked about us, he gives them a new outlandish lie."

"It's been fun watching them try to publish it and then get corrected, or they'll retract it," Willow said.

"Harmony called me, green with envy when she saw a photo of us with Tony and Pepper," Cordelia said with a smug smile.

"So are you telling people that Pepper's your mom?" Buffy asked Willow.

"I spoke to Willow's parents, and they realized that it's not practical to keep it a secret for long," Pepper said. "I released a statement two days ago explaining who Willow was and why Tony is being photographed with teenagers in two different states."

"Yes, rumors of him being a sexual deviant were very disturbing," Xander said with a shudder.

"Not cool," Oz agreed.

"Of course, there was the story that we were _all_ his love children by four different baby-mamas," Cordelia said with a snort.

Buffy shook her head. "It's crazy," she remarked. Tony Stark was such a big deal, and his life was somehow entwined with theirs.

"But it's been fun. I wish you could've been there with us in Malibu," Willow said. "Tony's got these really cool robots that helps him in his lab. They're very smart."

"We're here," Happy said, stopping the car in front of café Pepper wanted to go to. It was not a place Tony frequented, so there wasn't a bevy of reporters waiting for them.

They managed to enjoy a nice lunch, telling Buffy funny stories. As she listened and laughed, she felt the weight of her destiny grow lighter, and the memory of killing Angel faded a bit more.

After lunch, Happy drove them to a nearby clothing store for men, and the fun began. The girls thoroughly enjoyed dressing the boys in various outfits. Pepper sat back, sipping a latte and going through emails on her tablet. She smiled at some of the outfits the girls put the boys in. Occasionally, she would snap a photo and send it to Tony. Tony was game for a lot of things, but shopping for clothes with teenagers wasn't one of them.

He did have a plan, though, to take them to the electronic store before too long. That was his kind of place.

When they finally let the boys pick a suit, everyone was happy with the results. Oz went with classic black while Xander's was a charcoal gray.

"Now, it's time to get us a dress to match how hot our guys look," Cordelia said, admiring Xander.

Buffy felt a pain of sorrow as she realized that Angel wasn't there getting dressed up with them. They were all going to have fun with their boyfriends, but Buffy was all alone. Her enthusiasm for the shopping trip began to wane.

However, she kept her friends from noticing by keeping a smile on her face as they traveled to the next store. She managed to pick a new dress and matching shoes, but her heart wasn't in it.

Pepper, always sensitive to moods of others, could see that Buffy was no longer enjoying herself.

"Hey, since it took so long to get the formal ware, why don't we pick casual ware tomorrow?" she suggested. "We can go visit some tourist sites Buffy hasn't had a chance to see."

"Another day of shopping? Great idea!" Cordelia said excitedly.

"So is there some place we're going to go to wear our new fancy duds?" Willow asked Pepper.

"There is a pre-Expo gala this week, and Tony wants you all to come," Pepper said.

Willow's eyes lit up wide with excitement. "The science expo is the coolest thing! I've always wanted to go to it!" she said.

Oz gave a nod of agreement.

"Now, you will get to go to the fancy party, _and _all the cool science stuff," Xander said with a grin.

Willow couldn't believe how much her world had changed since meeting Pepper. The summer was the best time in her life, and sharing it with her two best friends and Oz just made everything even better.

When they climbed into the elevator to go to their floor in Tony's giant tower, they were carrying their packages.

Tony greeted them. "I see the shopping expedition was a success," he said, seeing their packages.

"We got fancy clothes, so we won't embarrass you at the party tomorrow," Xander said.

"I don't get embarrassed," Tony said.

"Well, Cordelia does, and she said I can't embarrass her in front of your legion of fans," Xander said, grinning.

"A smart man keeps his girlfriend happy," Tony said, pulling Pepper close for a kiss.

"Let's go put up our stuff," Willow said.

They dispersed to their rooms. "How did it go?" Tony asked Pepper.

"It was fun," Pepper said. "They really enjoyed themselves."

"Yes, the pictures looked like they were having a good time," he said. "How about Buffy? She okay?"

"Not exactly," Pepper said. "Halfway through the first store, she seemed to lose interest. The other kids didn't notice, though."

"JARVIS, send Buffy to my workshop, please," Tony said.

Buffy was hanging up her dress when a voice said, "Buffy, Sir would like you to join him in his workshop."

Buffy looked alarmed as she saw no person. "Willow? Did you hear that? Who's talking?" she asked in alarm. "No one told me Tony had ghosts!"

"That's JARVIS. He's hooked up to pretty much everywhere Tony is," Willow said. "He's a computer program, no ghost."

"Where's Tony's workshop?" Buffy asked.

"It's in the floor below us. It's really cool," Willow said.

"Are you going to come with me?" Buffy said.

"Actually, Sir would like just you to come," JARVIS broke in.

"Okay," Buffy said, looking at Willow.

"Don't worry, Buffy. You'll have fun," Willow said. "Tony just wants to spend time with you like he has all of us."

Buffy felt reassured and followed Willow's direction. However, when she was in the elevator, she discovered she didn't need direction as JARVIS guided her every step of the way. Although it was weird talking to someone she couldn't see, it was oddly comforting, too.

Tony's lab was a workshop of parts and machines. He had suits in various stages.

"Hello," Buffy said, giving him a shy smile.

"Glad you could join me," Tony said. "I wanted to ask your idea for my new suit."

"Me? What do I know about robots and such?" she asked in surprise.

"I don't need you to know about them," Tony said. "I want to talk weapons and strategy. Who knows more than you?"

Buffy was drawn into Tony's world of imagination and design before she knew it. Tony had quite a gift for pulling young minds out of their shell. In another world, he might've been a teacher. Of course, he would never admit such a thing about himself.

After a while, Tony broached the subject of the shopping trip. "So how did you enjoy the shopping trip?" he asked.

"Fine," she said. "You and Pepper are way too generous."

"Well, from what I have learned, you are the only reason Willow has any social life to speak of," Tony said.

"She had Xander and Jessie until I let Jessie get killed by vampires," Buffy said with more than a touch of bitterness.

"You let him die? Didn't you save both Willow and Xander from vampires the night he was taken?" Tony pointed out.

"Yes, but I didn't save Jessie," Buffy said in a small voice.

"I bet firefighters feel that way every time they save four out of five people in a building," Tony said. "The fact that they saved four can easily be eclipsed by the one that died because the flames became too high."

"I suppose," Buffy said.

Tony screwed a breast plate onto his suit. "So why did you stop enjoying the shopping trip today?" he asked, feeling it was the right time.

"I did enjoy it mostly," she said. "But they were all coupled up, and I'm the fifth wheel. It made me miss Angel."

Tony winced. They should've considered that. Tony thought of a boy that he could fix her up with. An idea came to him. He been recently to Columbia and gave a speech and met some very intelligent undergraduates.

"You know, Buffy, I had to kill someone I once loved and respected more than anyone," he said.

"You mentioned that. Your uncle, right?"

He gave her a more detailed explanation about the ugly events of Obadiah, and she listened with rapt attention.

"That's awful, Tony," she said with sympathy. When he'd mentioned it a few weeks earlier, she didn't feel as much sympathy as she still felt frozen inside. The fact that she felt bad for him was a sign that she was getting better, which was good because she was sick of herself and feeling so unslayer-like. "I'm really sorry that happened to you."

"Me, too," Tony said. "But sometimes bad shit happens, and you got to roll with the punches. Be thankful that you live to fight another day and learn from your mistakes. That's really all you can do."

Buffy nodded. She knew he was right, and what she did had to be done. Was it fate that had her fall in love with the only vampire with a soul? Or was it bad luck? Did Willow restoring his soul right before she had to kill him have to happen, or was it an accident?

"I'd really like to think that things happen for a reason, though," she said. "That there's some grand plan for all this crap we go through."

"Well, I think some things might happen for a reason, but some things just happen because of chance and circumstance," Tony said. "What are the odds that I'd get stuck in a cave with a guy in the Middle East that could devise a way to keep the shrapnel out of my heart? Or that I'd manage to build a suit of metal from scrap with all those guys watching my every move? There has to be a reason for all of it—at least I'd like to think so."

"I think so," Buffy said. "You were meant to be a hero."

Tony felt a warm glow from her words and smiled. "So were you, kid. So were you."

******_Chapter End******_

_I do realize that I am playing fast and loose with the movie timelines. Tony's time facing the Senate was at the beginning of Iron Man 2, but it seemed to follow the events of Iron Man 1 and then a time jump seemed to occur in the movie. That's how I'm interpreting it. Naturally, the date Tony's going to pick for Buffy will COMPLETELY not match the Marvel movie time stamp, but I couldn't resist. More to come!_


	7. Chapter 7

**I said I wasn't going to bring any Avengers character, and I'm not exactly. I'm bringing in Matt Murdoch, but I've made him younger. He's not yet Daredevil. I do NOT in any way claim be an expert on his character. I've seen the movie and watched a few episodes of the TV show, but that's about it. Although I don't think he and Foggy became roommates until graduate school, I'm changing it for the purpose of this story.**

Chapter 7: The Escort

_******Columbia University Dormitory******_

Foggy Nelson, a twenty-one-year-old, undergraduate, walked into his dorm carrying the mail. His roommate, Matt, who was two years younger but already a junior, was laying on the bed, listening to music in his headphones. He opened his eyes when he heard Foggy enter.

Matt had been a singular solitary figure since his father was murdered when he was a child. He had been surprised that his gregarious roommate fit him so well. Foggy saw past his blindness and treated him like a person—something few people could seem to do. He was funny, outrageous, and more intelligent than most people thought. They were as opposite as night and day in most ways, but they were both determined to go to law school in another year or two.

"Holy shit!" Foggy yelled as he read a piece of his mail. "I don't believe it!"

"What?" Matt said. He sat up and pulled out the earbuds.

"We have gotten an invitation to the Stark Expo and the gala the night before!" he shared.

"Seriously?" Matt asked in surprise. "Why?"

"I guess Tony Stark remembered us," Foggy said with a proud grin.

"That's not possible," Matt said. "We met him once freshmen year."

"Well, the guy has an eye for talent," Foggy said, puffing out his chest.

Matt's cell phone rang. He didn't recognize the number, but he answered it. "Hello?"

"Matthew, how are you?"

"I'm fine, sir. Who is this?"

"This is Tony Stark. Did you get my invitation?" Tony asked, looking at Pepper and winking.

"Foggy just opened it, sir. Thank you," Matt said. He mouthed to Foggy, _It's Tony Stark. _

Foggy grabbed the phone and pushed the speaker phone button.

"The reason I'm calling is I need a favor," Tony said.

"What kind of favor?" Matt asked.

Foggy looked at him in outrage, unable to stay silent. "It doesn't matter, sir. Whatever the favor, we are up for it!"

"I guess I'm on speaker phone," Tony remarked.

"Yes, sorry, sir," Matt said, glaring at Foggy.

"No, it's fine as I need to speak to you both," Tony said. "I have a friend—my girlfriend's daughter's best friend to be exact—who needs an escort to my gala. She recently lost her boyfriend—he died in a tragic accident. All her friends are coupled up, and I don't want her to feel like a fifth wheel at the gala tomorrow night. I thought you and Foggy would be the perfect two guys to keep her smiling."

"We will absolutely show her a good time," Foggy said.

"Not too good of a time as she is only seventeen," Tony warned.

"Of course, sir," Matt said.

"I will send a limo to pick you up at seven," Tony said.

"We will be ready," Matt said.

"Great. And this girl, Buffy Summers is her name," Tony said. "She is not like other girls—she's special. Kind of like how you're special, Matt."

Matt wasn't exactly sure what Tony meant by that. "I understand," he said anyway.

"I will see you boys there," Tony said, disconnecting.

"Wow! I can't believe that Tony Stark—Iron Man—wants us to help him!" Foggy said, giddy.

"Why do you think he asked both of us to escort her?" Matt wondered.

Foggy shrugged even though Matt couldn't see that action. "Maybe he didn't want her to feel any pressure from a real date—not if she's grieving for a dead boyfriend," he said.

Matt nodded. He could understand that. "That makes sense," he said. "What do you think he meant about her being special like I am? Does she have a physical handicap, too?"

"Who freakin' cares?" Foggy said. "We're going to the biggest party of the year! Our picture will be in magazines and everything."

Matt grinned. "Why would anyone take our picture?" he asked.

"Because we'll be hanging out with freakin' Tony Starks!" he said with glee. He looked at his watch. "Dude, we have got to get tuxes."

Foggy's phone beep. "I think Tony must have spy ware in our phones or something," he said.

"Why do you say that?" Matt asked.

"Tony says since this is last minute, he has arranged for us to get a fitted tux," Foggy said with a wide grin. "We're to go to this address tonight at 9."

"That's convenient," Matt said.

"Well, get your shoes on. We need to get some food and then get to our private fitting," Foggy said, his glee contagious.

Matt laughed and got his shoes on. "Okay. Lead the way," he said.

Happily, Foggy stood in front of him while Matt picked up his walking stick. This should be interesting.

_*****Stark Tower*****_

Willow and Oz had been working on an entry at the science expo. Tony had several elite prep schools and other gifted individuals competing for one top science prize. They decided to create a robot that was about their height and was able to follow ten distinct commands, including answering any music trivia and picking up trash. Willow had been horrified at the amount of litter in the slums they'd driven by. They made half of it from garbage they had foraged, wanting to keep the cost down. Willow was hoping the city would actually make use of them. They'd installed a GPS and a camera in case of theft.

"Mom, what do you think?" she asked Pepper, who came into their lab.

"I can't believe you and Oz built a working robot by yourself," Pepper said. It was not aesthetically pretty—none of Tony's were either. It was even grungier. However, it had an actual face and eyes.

"We got the design idea from _Star Wars New Hope_," Willow said. "That scene where Luke picks another robot that wasn't R2D2, but the robot flakes out. At least that's why its shaped like this."

"He's an unsung hero," Oz said.

"Without him breaking down, we'd never had had C3Po and R2D2!" Willow said with grin.

Pepper chuckled. "Yes, I have a vague memory of the robot you're referring to," she said. "Tony went through a sci-fi spell and had all the classic sci-fi from the seventies and eighties playing on a loop for a month in every house he lived in."

"Xander gave us the idea," Oz added. "He has strong feelings about the forgotten robot."

Pepper laughed. "I bet," she said.

"So is it dinner time?" Willow asked.

"Not quite," Pepper said. "I wanted to run something by you."

Willow stopped fiddling with her robot and looked up. "What's up? Did Tony decide our robot wasn't good enough and wanted you to break it to us gently? Or maybe we've cost him too much money. I can take back the dresses!" she said anxiously.

Pepper smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "None of that, sweetheart," she said. "Tony has more money that even he can waste, and I make a good living. I owe you lots of belated gifts."

"Oh," Willow said, relieved.

"Do I need to leave?" Oz asked.

"No, this isn't about Willow, but it's about Buffy," Pepper clarified. "Tony arranged for her to have an escort to tomorrow's gala. Will she be upset her happy about that?"

Willow looked at Oz, who shrugged. "I think she'll be okay with it," she said. "I know she kind of feels like a fifth will with us. It's hard not to be a couple when we're two couples here with her."

"Yes, I know," Pepper said. "She admitted as much to me."

"Really?" Willow said, feeling a flash of guilt.

"Tony told the escort that she'd just lost her boyfriend, so he won't be having any expectations outside of showing Buffy a good time," Pepper explained.

Willow smiled. "Oh, that sounds great. Have you told Buffy?" she asked.

"No, I wanted to see if you should tell her, or should I?" Pepper asked.

"Well, if it comes from me, it may make her feel bad—like she couldn't get her own date," Willow said. "But it's easier if it comes from you," Willow said.

"Okay, then, I will go speak to her," Pepper said. She walked into the nearby elevator. "JARVIS, where is Buffy right now?"

"She is watching TV with Cordelia in the family room," he said.

Pepper went there and found the two girls watching an old episode of _The A-Team._ It made her smile. "Interesting choice," she said.

"This show is hilarious," Cordelia said.

Buffy grinned. "Whatcha talking about, fool?" she imitated Mr. T. "That's totally going to be new line when I slay."

Pepper was glad to see Buffy smiling. "Well, I just wanted to let you know that Tony arranged for you to have an escort for the gala tomorrow night. I hope that's okay?" she said.

Cordelia's eyes lit up. "Who did he get? Someone famous? Is he hot? Does Tony have a picture?" Cordelia asked.

"I don't know," Pepper said. "You'll have to go bug him."

Cordelia jumped up. "Oh, I will," she said. She grinned down at Buffy. "Don't worry, Buffy. The man will be putty in my hands."

"Try not to break him," Pepper said fondly.

"No promises," Cordelia said, giggling as she bounced to find him.

Buffy laughed. "Didn't she seem a little too interested in _my _date?"

"_That's_ Cordelia," Pepper said, sitting down next to Buffy. "So are you really okay with it?"

Buffy shrugged. "Sure," she said. "I mean, it's better if I have a date than not. It's kind of lame that Tony had to bribe some poor guy to be my date, but it is what it is."

Pepper put her arm around Buffy's shoulder to hug her. "Don't worry," she said. "Young men are always looking for ways to get ahead and owing Tony Stark a favor is a rare boon. The guy's going to be very happy to be your date. He'll show you a good time."

"You don't know who it is?" Buffy asked.

"Tony said he was pre-law at Columbia and just a few years older than you," Pepper said.

"You know the last time I went out with a college guy, he and his buddy drugged Cordelia and me and tried to sacrifice us to his snake god," Buffy said casually.

Pepper's mouth fell open, and she looked closely at Buffy to see if she was joking. "Seriously?" she asked.

Buffy nodded. "Yep. That was the one and only time I did Cordy a favor," she said with a grin.

Pepper groaned and closed her eyes. "The lives you kids live—it breaks my heart," she admitted.

"It's okay. We always manage to survive," Buffy said.

Pepper shook her head, still a bit perturbed, but she knew she couldn't dwell on all their horrors or it would make her mad.

Downstairs, Tony was cornered in his lab by a woman with a mission. Cordelia had already managed to get Tony to admit the date was a college student he knew. He was saving the fact that he'd arranged two dates as a surprise, and he grinned at the thought of their reaction. Then Cordelia slapped his arm.

"A college student? Did you do an extensive background check 'cause the last college boy Buffy went out with drugged her and tried to sacrifice her to this demon," Cordelia said.

"Really?" Tony asked, his eyes lit up in interest. "What kind?"

"It was gross and snake like," Cordelia said. "The one time I ask her to do a double date with me, and it goes to hell—she's a trouble magnet."

Tony grinned. "Oh, _she _is, huh? It sounds more and more like _you _are the damsel in distress who she is always rescuing! You're Daphne, and Buffy is Fred!" he declared.

"What? That's crazy!" Cordelia exclaimed in outrage. She proceeded to list all the times Buffy put her in danger.

Tony let her words wash over him as he enjoyed her passion and twisted logic. If only he had a teenage son, he'd move heaven and earth to make sure Cordelia married him. To have a grandkid with her passion, arrogance, and sheer ambition combined with his genes—the image made him grin. Of course, he loved all the girls equally if he was honest. Willow will her earnest desire to learn and please—her intelligence and curiosity for just about everything was limitless. Yet she didn't hide behind her shy exterior but helped her best friend fight freakin' monsters! What a kid. Then there was the slayer herself—her burden was great, but he knew she would never stop fighting to save people, to do her duty.

Her selflessness shamed him. He was going to help these kids and find others like them. More and more mutants were being discovered—genetically enhanced humans, not mystically powered. He'd already located a spider boy. JARVIS had recently told him about a school for gifted youngsters ran by a guy named Xavier. Tony had a meeting on the books with him. The new slayer was already located, and Tony planned to meet her and her Watcher at the end of the summer.

Tony might not be able to do everything himself, but he had the resources to help these kids and kids like them. And he would use every penny and make sure no kid who was risking their life to help others would go without anything they needed.

_*****Chapter End*****_

_So I hadn't planned this, but I'm sort of leaning into a possible X-Men inclusion in this story. Not sure how much. Feel free to list your favorites you would like to see. Obviously, the timelines are totally screwed, so just pretend it fits! __ I feel that if Tony really DID see firsthand kids fighting like this, he would be involved. The latest Spiderman/Tony bonding in the Marvel moves sort of backs that._

_I didn't bother to look up if the Buffy/Cordelia date episode was in season 2 or if it was in season 3. It was just too perfect to mention here, so let it go if I messed it up. _

_So what's your thoughts on my date escorts for Buffy? Surprised? Pleased? Feel free to give ideas as this is the last chapter I've written. That means you can help guide the story. Thanks for reading._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Festivities

_*****Gala Night*****_

Buffy looked down at her very dark green dress—it was almost black, which fit her mood. She tried to buy a black dress, but Pepper wouldn't let her. Instead, she had on a very expensive dark green dress with a V-neckline and no sleeves. The skirt was long with a slit that would allow her to fight if she needed it. Her hair was pulled up in a French twist that Pepper's personal stylist had done. Pepper had even loaned her jewelry to go with the dress—a beautiful emerald necklace with matching tear drop earrings that had a ring of tiny diamonds around them. It'd been a long time since she'd been around anything remotely this expensive, and she didn't dare ask what it was worth. Her mother would die if she knew Buffy had even agreed to wear the jewelry set, but she smiled and allowed Pepper to snap a photo while they waited for Cordelia.

The girls had all agreed to wear different colors. Willow was in a beautiful blue dress with a bell like skirt that swished when she moved. "I feel like a princess!" she gushed. Her hair was done up similar to Buffy's, but there were diamonds in her hair and around her neck and ears. Pepper had gifted her with her very first adult jewelry—not counting the string of pearls her dad got her for her sweet sixteen.

Cordelia had on a red dress, of course, and she was stunning. Her dress was short, so her very long legs were on prime display as were the girls in the strapless dress. Her hair was long and flowing down her back. Xander about swallowed his tongue when he saw her all dressed up.

"Am I still standing up?" he asked. "'Cause I can't feel my tongue."

Cordelia gave him her megawatt smile. "Don't I look amazing?"

"You are beautiful beyond measure," Xander said, meaning it.

"You all look so grown up," Pepper said, flashing pictures of all of them un-posed. Then she had them pose as a group and then as couples.

The two boys had on tuxedos. Xander was doing his best James Bond impression while Oz's had a touch of blue that matched Willow's dress.

Tony made his appearance, whistling at the group. "Wow, my money looks good on all of you," he said with a grin. He kissed Pepper, leering at her. "You are still going to be the belle of the ball."

"Sure," she said dryly. She gave Willow a concerned glance. "There will be a lot of attention, Willow, on you because you'll be out officially as my daughter. And due to your entrance in the Expo tomorrow, you'll get even more attention. People will insist that you must be Tony and I's secret love child."

"Really?" Willow asked in dismay.

"Don't worry, I get accused of having lots of love childs," Tony said with a smirk.

"Didn't we already debunk that theory?" Xander asked.

"People have short attention spans," Tony said with a shrug. "Let's get this show on the road."

"What about my date?" Buffy asked.

Tony looked at his watch. "Happy should be pulling up with them right now, so let's head down," he said.

"Them?" Buffy asked.

"Well, I decided you deserved to have two men escorting you," Tony said with a wink.

"Double the pleasure—nice," Xander said, grinning.

Buffy found herself feeling a bit excited. Not so much about a hot date kind of excitement, but she felt normal for the first time since Angel had woken up as Angelus.

Angel was gone, but she was alive. It was time for her to find a way to live in the moment.

Downstairs, Happy was holding the front door for Foggy and Matt. He wasn't sure what to think about the boss having a blind guy and a way too jolly guy escort one of his chickadees.

Buffy saw two men with Happy, and she wondered why one of them had round tinted glasses inside when it was night. As she approached, the slightly heavy set one looked at them with a wide grin.

"Buffy Summers, meet your dates—two highly intelligent and ambitious undergraduates at Columbia, who both hope to go onto law school. That one is Foggy Nelson, and his visually impaired but more brilliant friend and roommate is Matt Murdock."

Buffy smiled and held out her hand to Foggy, who said, "She is a very beautiful blonde—a bit petite."

Buffy realized the guy was completely blind when he held out his hand, but it wasn't exactly in front of her. She moved to take it. "It's nice to meet you. Thanks for agreeing to be my date. I'm the fifth wheel with my friends here," she said.

"It's our pleasure," Matt assured her, smiling at her.

Buffy thought he was really cute, but she felt uncomfortable with his blindness. She didn't know anyone who was blind—she'd never even met a blind person. How was this going to work?

Foggy easily stepped in. "Who are your friends?" he asked.

"That's Xander with his girlfriend Cordelia. Willow is Pepper's daughter, and that's her boyfriend Oz," Buffy introduced.

Greetings were exchanged.

"So, Willow, you and Oz are going to ride with me and Pepper," Tony told her. "I have a second limo that will take your friends. It will help deflect some of the attention off them."

"Of course, we'll get even more as this is the first public event you've been to with us," Pepper said.

"Okay," Willow said, feeling nervous. She reached for Oz's hand.

"It'll be okay," he said.

Willow admired how nothing seemed to faze Oz, and she was grateful he was there to lend her his strength. "Thanks for doing this," she said to him.

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," Oz assured her.

"I will probably make a brief statement because once the press realizes you are in the Expo tomorrow, they'll start again accusing you of being Tony's daughter," Pepper said.

"I'd claim you in a heartbeat, of course," Tony told her, grinning.

Willow blushed. "Thanks," she said. "I'll be okay."

"We'll see you there," Xander said.

When they loaded into the vehicles, Buffy found herself in the unusual position of being in between two guys who were both her dates.

Matt decided to address the elephant. "I know you're all probably wondering about me. No, I wasn't born blind. I was twelve when I was blinded by a chemical spill."

"A chemical spill? That's crazy," Xander said. "I hope you sued the company at least."

"I was in too much pain to say exactly what happened, but my hospital bills were paid," he said.

"I couldn't imagine being blind," Cordelia said.

"Yea, it would be traumatic not being able to look in the mirror every day, right?" Buffy said with a smirk.

"At least I bother to look in a mirror," Cordelia sniped.

Foggy laughed. He'd forgotten how snarky teenager girls could be. He looked at Matt to see how he was holding up. Matt seemed, okay, so he relaxed. Their date was as cute as a button, so the night was going to be fun.

When Tony's limo arrived, he got out first and held out his hand to help Pepper. Willow came next with Oz right behind her.

Immediately, cameras flashed, and reporters bombarded them with questions.

"Mr. Stark, is Willow Rosenberg your child?"

"Ms. Potts, when did you have the affair with Mr. Stark?"

"How did you find your adopted daughter?"

"Did Tony help her with her entry into the Expo?"

Tony held up his hand and faced the throng, flashing a smile. "I can see it's time to feed the beast, "he said. "As we've stated before, I, sadly, am not the father of this brilliant and beautiful teenager." He reached for Willow's hand and brought it to his mouth for a kiss. "I think it's a matter of public record that Pepper and I didn't meet until she became employed at my company."

"Willow's father was someone from my hometown," Pepper said. "Her intelligence has nothing to do with Tony. Her boyfriend, Daniel Osborne, has a genius IQ as well, and they worked without assistance from Tony on their Expo entry. Of course, they showed it to him, but they planned it, gathered the materials, and did all the work without Tony's help."

"Miss Rosenberg, will you give us a statement?" a reporter asked, shoving the mic into her face.

Willow's eyes widened as panic filled her. She finally eked out, "I'm happy to be here."

"That's enough," Tony said. "We have a party to get to." He pushed through the reporters, leading his rather large group as Buffy's limo had unloaded, and the entire gang was now on the red carpet.

Matt didn't like all the people pressing in, but Buffy had looped her hand through his arm, making it less difficult for him.

The Scoobies were a bit start struck by all the guests, but there was dancing. As there weren't any clubs like the Bronze in the area that allowed teenagers, they had missed being able to dance. Both couples went out to the dance floor immediately while Buffy led Matt to one of the tables scattered about.

"May I have this dance?" Foggy asked her, holding out his hand.

Buffy glanced at Matt, and Foggy said, "Don't worry about him. He'll be fine. You can dance with him next."

"Yes, I can dance," Matt said, anticipating her question.

"Okay—if you're sure it's okay," Buffy said. "I've never had two dates at the same time before."

"Well, we've never shared a date, so it's a first for us, too," Foggy said with wink.

Matt sat at the table, not sure how he felt about being there. However, he knew Foggy would have a good time. Foggy was a good friend to him, so he didn't want to let him down.

Willow felt like the night was a dream. She and Oz danced for a half hour before other people started asking her for a dance. Of course, she knew that most of them hoped to curry favor with Tony. It didn't stop her, though, from feeling like the popular girl for once.

She never noticed that both Buffy and Cordelia were having the same thing happen as more and more knew that they were staying at Tony's for the summer.

Buffy, however, only danced a few times as she felt having two dates was enough to occupy her. She found the two men fun, and it was clear that they were good friends. Foggy reminded her a bit of Xander with the jokes, and Matt had a dry sense of humor that never failed to entertain.

Eventually, Foggy had the nerve to ask Pepper to dance, and Buffy decided to sit it out with Matt. She had danced with him twice—both slow dances. Somehow, he knew how to move without sight.

He was a puzzle, and she couldn't help but stare at him in contemplation.

"I can feel your gaze on me," Matt said. "What's up?"

"I'm sorry," Buffy said. "I don't mean to stare. I just can't help but think about how hard life is without losing a major sense. You are incredibly brave."

"I'm not sure I'd call it brave so much as a surviving and adapting," Matt said. "Sometimes, you get dealt a crap hand, and you got to play the cards you have."

Buffy nodded and then realized he couldn't see that. Her face flushed in embarrassment, and she was glad he couldn't see her embarrassment. "I know what you mean," she said. "I loved a guy, who turned bad on me, and then he killed someone close to me and hurt my friends. Now he's dead. I felt so guilty for not being able to stop him. Then I felt more guilt for mourning his death."

"I'm sorry," Matt said with sympathy. "I've never lost a lover, only my parents. But I know you are only responsible for your own choices, not others."

"What if my choices caused others pain?" she asked.

"Well, then you need to make amends and make better choices," Matt said.

Buffy reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. "Thanks for that. It's hard to talk to my friends about Angel because he hurt them, and they want to be there for me. But they also think I should just get over it because he was a monster," she said. "To me, though, he wasn't just the monster. There was so much more to him."

Another slow song began to play, and Matt decided to bring her out of the morose mood that had settled on her. "Would you like to dance?" he asked, standing. "I think I can handle this song."

Buffy smiled and thought how sad it was that he couldn't see her smile, but she put her hand in his.

Foggy was dancing a second dance with Pepper when Tony cut in. "Okay, no one dances twice with my lady but me," Tony said.

Foggy grinned. "I totally understand," he said. "Looks like my date is dancing with Matt, so I'll go get something to eat."

Pepper looked and saw Buffy smiling up at Matt, very animated as she spoke to him. "It looks like your plan seems to be working," she observed.

Tony smirked. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that she is drawn to the more serious one with still waters," he said.

"You wanted her to be," Pepper said knowingly. "Foggy would've been the perfect date as he's fun loving and just the distraction she needed, but you insisted on both of them. You wanted her to meet Matt."

"I have no idea why you'd say that. It's not like she lives in New York and they could ever be anything between them," Tony said. "But I figured she might be drawn to someone who does so well even though life hasn't been so easy for him."

"It's hard to feel sorry for yourself when you see someone else with possibly bigger problems," Pepper said knowingly. "You might be as smart as advertised."

Tony grinned, giving her a cheeky smile. "Don't you know that by now?" he asked.

The couple in question danced two slow dances while Buffy shared some of the tamer Sunnydale stories with Matt.

"So what do you do for fun?" Matt asked.

"Well, we go to the Bronze—that's a dance club. Oz is in a band—he plays guitar," she said. "It's like the only thing for teens to do in my town. I'm also into martial arts. Giles has me training all the time."

"Really?" Matt asked, intrigued. He'd been pleasantly surprised to find Buffy both charming and interesting. Finding out that they had something in common was not expected. Of course, he didn't know how to tell her he had begun studying martial arts himself.

"Yes, I got into it about three years ago," Buffy said. "Giles said I'm something of a savant 'cause I remember a move after being shown it only once."

"I've taken a few lessons myself, and it's not easy," he admitted.

"Not being able to see would make it really hard," Buffy said. "How do you learn?"

"By getting knocked down a lot," he said dryly.

Buffy winced. "I bet," she said. "Tony said that he was going to bring a teacher around this coming week, so I don't grow lazy over the summer. He says Willow and Cordelia should learn some basic self-defense, too."

"That's a good idea," Matt said. "The world has become a dangerous place."

The music ended, and they made their way back to the table.

"You guys seem to be having a good time," Foggy said. "Try the crab cakes." Before Matt could reply, he shoved it into Matt's mouth, making Buffy laugh.

The trio spent the last hour of the gala at the table, joined by Cordelia and Xander and eventually Oz and Willow.

Willow eventually got Matt to talking about legal contradictions while Foggy and Xander shared favorite movie scenes. Oz and Buffy provided commentary.

It was a great night—one none of them would forget.

Foggy made a point of giving Buffy his and Matt's phone number. "Call us to hang out while you're in town. Matt studies too much, so any excuse to drag him away from his books is always good," Foggy said.

"I will," Buffy said. "For sure before we go home."

Matt kissed her cheek. "Don't let your sorrow keep you from remembering the good times," he whispered.

"Thanks," Buffy said. She watched the two men go into their dorms.

"They seem to be a hit," Xander said.

"Which did you like better?" Cordelia asked.

"They're college guys, Cordy. Just new friends, not potential boyfriends," Buffy said.

"For now," Cordelia said. "But you never know what the future holds."

Buffy smiled. Suddenly, the future didn't seem nearly so grim.

*****_Chapter End******_

_So Iron Man 2 events seemed to happen not long after Ironman 1, but I don't want to get into them while the summer is there. I might after school starts. I hope Foggy and Matt seemed in character for those that follow Daredevil. Forgive me if I got it wrong as I tried my best. A reviews is the best thank you!_


	9. Chapter 9

**I decided to bring in Natasha aka Natalie Rushman. Yes, she doesn't come onto the scene until **_**Ironman 2**_**, but I think if an opening presented itself, Fury would insert her early.**

**This chapter is written from the limited perspective of Tony Stark. I recently rewashed **_**Endgame**_** and **_**Spiderman Far from Home**_**, and I miss him already.**

Chapter 9: Tony and the Expo

_*****The Expo*****_

Tony put on his suit and dazzled the audience at the Expo. He always loved showing up and wowing others. This time, though, he felt an impatience that he hadn't felt before. The U.S. government had made it very clear that he had to share his Ironman technology with them, so he was working on a suit. However, he wasn't about to give it to anyone but Rhodey. He didn't trust the government all that much, but he did trust Rhodey. As soon as possible, he walked off stage and stepped out of the suit.

His attention the past few weeks hadn't been as focused as it should've been. Instead, he was consumed with thoughts of Willow and her incredible friends. Growing up as an only child, he hadn't realized how lonely his entire existence was. The life of the party, he was forever surrounding himself with people, but there was only Pepper for the longest time that he trusted. Then Happy. Now Rhodey. Being with Willow and her friends had taught him how small he'd allowed his world to become.

According to many exes, he'd never make a good father because he was too much a narcissist. At school, teachers and classmates criticized that he wasn't a team player. The list of his flaws had been long. One thing, however, many would never understand about him was that he had his mother's empathy. Too often it was ignored because his father's genius was what drove him most of the time.

Now, however, it was the empathy that was interfering with the science. Sure, he'd been tinkering with the kids—they inspired him. He'd been spending most of his time designing weapons and protective wear for them. New leather collars lined with thin metal would protect necks from vampire bites. Watching _The Lord of the Rings_ two nights ago with them had inspired him to create a type of chain mail they could put over their clothes to protect them from demon claws.

"Tony," Pepper called. "Willow and Oz are waiting."

"I'm coming," he said, hoping things didn't get out of hand.

It was frustrating because he knew that Willow and Oz's entry would get extra attention not because of how good it was but because of their connection to him. He hoped they wouldn't realize it since it _was_ a good invention—especially for a first one. The costs were low, and it was environmentally friends—both pluses in today's world.

He was so very proud of them. When they gave their presentation, he grinned like a proud father. Oz spoke entire sentences and answered at least half the questions. The kid was the most self-contained individual he had ever met. He could speak of music as eloquently as he could talk computer code. Although he had no drive or ambitious that Tony could see, Tony wanted him to have an amazing future.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" Pepper asked him as they finished their presentation. Now the reporters were asking Oz and Willow questions.

"About the kids—Oz in particular," Tony said. "The kid is brilliant, but he's not like any kid or adult I've ever met. He has just two passions—music and Willow."

Pepper smiled. "Yes, he does love my daughter. They're so cute together," she said, glancing at them.

"I want Oz to intern with me after he graduates," Tony said.

"He's going to go to college with Willow," Pepper said.

"You know as well as I do that he really doesn't care that much about college or school in general," Tony said. "He only cares about things that spark his interest."

"So what do you think? Have him defer for a year and intern with you?" Pepper said.

"A werewolf in New York has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" Tony asked with a grin. Tony had yet to witness Oz's wolf transformation, but a full moon was coming in the next few days. He was very much looking forward to witnessing it. He really wanted to see if his science department could figure out a cure for lycanthropy, but he wasn't sure how to bring it up. Was it offensive? Would it alienate the self-contained young man?

"Don't even think about it, Tony," Pepper said with a disapproving frown.

"Think about what?" he asked innocently even though he knew she had this uncanny ability to read his mind.

"You are not conducting experiments on, Oz," Pepper said.

"Of course not," Tony said. "But if he ever wants to look for a cure, I'd do what I can to help him out. That's just the kind of guy I am."

"Sure," Pepper said. Tony could tell she was trying not to smile. "Not to change the subject, but I couldn't help but notice that Buffy's two escorts are here today."

Tony shrugged. "What can I say? It's an event open to the public, and they're curious guys. They wanted to see what's new in the science field," he said.

"I bet," she said.

"I'm sure you noticed like I did that Buffy had a really good time last night," Tony said. "I don't think I've seen her smile so much since I've met her."

"That's true," Pepper said, nodding. "Willow said that she really liked both guys. Foggy made her laugh, but Matt she felt a connection with—although I think she was a bit uncomfortable with his blindness."

"Well, that's normal," Tony said. "I have a surprise for Buffy that I think she might like."

"What?" Pepper said.

Tony gestured with his chin. "I thought I'd get a female fighter to train her while she's here for the next few weeks," he said.

Pepper looked to see if anyone popped out at her. She saw an attractive woman walking toward them.

When she approached, Tony introduced, "This is Natalie Rushman—my new personal assistant and bodyguard."

"Seriously?" Pepper asked in surprise.

"Happy suggested with the kids and paparazzi that I have another person besides him since he's often driving," Tony said. "Miss Rushman, this is Pepper, my girlfriend and the one who normally runs my life."

"It's nice to meet you," Natalie said. She really was quite pretty—too bad he only had room in his life for one redhead. Then he glanced over at Willow still answering questions—make that two redheads.

"Pepper, now that I've made you CEO of my company, you're too busy to also keep my calendar," Tony said.

"JARVIS does that," Pepper said. "I just force you to leave your lab."

Tony grinned. "Now you don't have to," he said. "Happy put in an ad, and then Miss Rushman applied. She is an expert in a few forms of fighting and speaks Latin—Giles will approve."

"You care what Rupert thinks?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, Buffy does—and yes, I sort of do," Tony admitted. "He's so British but yet his nickname as a young man was Ripper."

"I'm sorry," Pepper said to Natalie. "We're being rude."

"That's fine, ma'am," Natalie said.

"So Miss Rushman, as part of your duties, you will be teaching our kids basic self-defense. Will that be okay with you?" Tony asked. He needed someone to work with the kids more than he needed a bodyguard.

"Of course," Natalie said.

"One of the kids, Buffy," Tony said, pointing to her as she was in their line of sight chatting with Matt and Foggy not far from Willow and Oz's robot, "is a savant when it comes to fighting. She picks up any form she's taught almost effortlessly. Rupert Giles, her librarian back in Sunnydale, has been training her. However, women are different from men, so I thought a female trainer would be good for her."

"Yes, women do need to learn things that can help them take down bigger and stronger opponents," she said.

She had no way of knowing that Buffy had the strength of ten men, but Buffy was at a disadvantage height wise—even though it pissed her off if anyone pointed that fact out. "Now, Willow, Oz, Xander, and Cordelia have basically no training at all, but their hometown is a bit dangerous," Tony shared. "They've had some unfortunate run-ins with a local gang."

"Willow was put in the hospital—that's how my daughter and I connected," Pepper shared.

"A friend of theirs was murdered in front of them," Tony added.

"That's unfortunate," Natalie, looking sympathetic.

"So I think feeling like they can defend themselves will make them feel more confident when they go back home at the end of the summer," Tony said.

"All kids should feel safe," Natalie said.

"I think spending two hours working with Buffy and one hour with the others will be perfect," Tony told her." He could see that she was surprised. "Buffy never gets tired."

"That's true," Pepper agreed.

"You can start tomorrow," Tony said.

"Actually, Happy said there's a lot of people here, so I started today," she said.

"Well, I might as well take you to meet Buffy," Tony said.

"I'm going to go rescue Willow," Pepper said. "She's looking a bit overwhelmed."

"Okay," Tony said. He glanced at the woman next to him. She moved like Buffy—that's why he agreed with Happy's choice to hire her. Tony figured it meant she could fight. He'd find out soon enough because he'd have Buffy spar with her at first opportunity. That'd let him know if he was paying her enough.

"Buffy," Tony said, getting her attention. "Boys."

"Hello, sir," Foggy said. He eyed Natalie with interest. "Who's your very beautiful lady friend?"

Tony appreciated that Foggy used a lot of description so that his visually impaired friend would have a clue. "This is Natalie Rushman, my new bodyguard," he introduced with a knowing grin.

"But you're Ironman," Foggy said.

"Yes, I know, but I'm not always in my suit," Tony said. "Plus, Happy's having a nervous breakdown with all the attention the kids are garnering. Also, Miss Rushman is going to help to teach you guys self-defense."

"I don't need a teacher," Buffy said, frowning.

"There's always things you can learn," Tony said. "Besides, Giles is not a woman. I'm sure there's things a woman can teach you that a man wouldn't think of."

He could see Buffy looking his new bodyguard over carefully. He smirked, thinking that Buffy was probably wondering if she could take her in a fight.

"Did you know that Matt is taking self-defense?" Buffy said.

Tony looked at him with interest. "Really? I didn't know that," he said. "How exactly does that work? You can't see to know what the moves are. It was a good thing Pepper wasn't there to scold him for being insensitive.

"It's not easy, but I can feel," Matt said.

"So there's a lot of touching?" Tony asked with a grin. "Is your teacher hot?"

"My teacher is a man," Matt said dryly.

Buffy groaned. "Tony, that is so not cool," she said.

"Maybe sometime, Matt, you can come over and give Buffy a sparring partner," Tony said. When he saw Buffy's glare, he quickly added, "Or Xander and Oz. You can spar with them. They'll probably be no challenge for you, though, if you've had some training." Buffy breaking the blind man/potential love interest was probably not a good idea.

"Xander's really good at running away," Buffy said.

"That's my favorite move," Foggy said.

"It's a wise decision if you're outgunned," Natalie said.

Tony appreciated that she was taking his desire to teach the teens in stride. This was going to be fun. Maybe, if Buffy spent enough time with Matt, she'd want to go to college in New York with Willow. Of course, Willow hadn't decided that she would go to school in New York. But Harvard and Yale were within easy commuting distance. Columbia, too, was nothing to sneeze about. M. I. T., though, might be the best fit for Willow as she was now a budding inventor. Pepper would be so happy to have Willow within two hours. Heck, even Georgetown in D. C. was doable.

Distracted by his musings, he missed a few remarks. Finally, Buffy yelled, "Tony! Wake up!"

"What?" he asked, looking at her.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "He's perpetually in a fog. Giles is like that whenever he gets in his books," Buffy said. "Tony doesn't need books, though. His brain is already too full."

"What's so important?" Tony asked pointedly.

"I'm getting hungry, and the guys said there's a great pizza place close by," Buffy said.

"I can't leave yet, but you guys can," Tony said. "Happy's outside. Let him drive you."

"I'll go tell Cordy and Xander," Buffy said. "Do you think we should rescue Willow yet?"

"Probably not," Tony said. "The publicity and exposure is kind of the point of this whole thing."

Buffy nodded. "I'll be back guys," she said.

Natalie watched Buffy walk off and gave Tony a questioning look. "That girl is a fighting savant?" she asked.

Foggy looked interested. "Really? I didn't know that! She's a deadly Barbie Doll! I might be in love," he said with a happy sigh.

"You say that once a week," Matt said dryly.

"I hope we're not trying to start a love triangle, boys," Tony said. "Buffy's in mourning."

"Of course not, sir," Foggy said with a wink. "I was kidding—mostly. She _is _like a Barbie Doll, though."

"Don't let her appearance fool you," Tony said. "There's nothing delicate about Buffy. She's the most deadly woman I've ever met. She's been fighting for years. Not to mention, she's the least selfish teenager I've ever met, and her friends are pretty great. However, she's in a league of her own."

"Really?" Natalie said, clearly surprised.

Tony nodded. "Yes," he said. "Like you, she's not just a pretty face."

If they only knew….

******_Chapter End******_

_As this chapter is way past due, I decided to stop here. I know this story is one of my more popular ones. I have started new chapters for my Stargate and Superman stories, so hopefully one or both will be updated by the weekend. Thanks for reading. Reviews are lovely. I hope the shortness of it wasn't too much of a letdown. Next chapter: Buffy and Nat spar._


	10. Chapter 10

**I've wrapped up a few stories, so I hope I can do a better job updating this one as I do realize it's probably my most popular story. Thanks for sticking with it. I wrote this in the limited point of view again, but this time, it's focusing on Black Widow's point of view. Of course, no one in the story will know exactly who she is for a long time.**

Chapter 10: The Assistant

*****_Two Days Later*****_

The Black Widow had not been happy when her boss had given her this assignment babysitting Tony Stark, who had foolishly declared his superhero identity to the world.

"You want me to do what?" she asked Nick Fury, leader of SHIELD.

"Stark has to be monitored closely. He says he's going to build a suit for our government, but he could change his mind. He could be influenced by forces that are not American," Nick said. "His uncle was a near disaster."

"Was the guy his actual uncle or just a close family friend?" Natasha asked.

"Does it matter? The end result was that someone close to Tony Stark gave dangerous weapons to our enemies," Nick said. "The World Council agrees that Tony must be kept under close monitoring. We thought it'd take a while to find an angle, but he's recently started hanging out with a bunch of teenagers. He's put up an ad for an assistant who can double as a bodyguard."

"So I don't have to pretend to be Miss Helpless?" she asked, glad of the fact.

"No," Fury said. "You do, however, have to become indispensable to him. How do you feel about teenagers?"

"I don't feel anything for teenagers," she said. "Why would I? I was never really one myself."

"Stark's CEO and girlfriend, Pepper Potts, has a daughter who she gave up for adoption," Fury explained. "Suddenly, Stark is all about teenagers. He's been seen with a half a dozen of them."

"So I have to wrangle teenagers, too?" she asked.

Fury handed her some folders. "Read their files. They're an interesting bunch. The two redheads are Bonafide geniuses. The blonde is a borderline delinquent while the last girl is a rich princess, who seems at odds with the others—her boyfriend especially," Fury said. "It's strange that Stark would devote so much time and attention to teenagers that aren't related to Ms. Potts."

Natasha was intrigued and began flipping through the folders—at least she wouldn't be bored.

Now that she'd spent the past two days with Stark and his group of teenagers, she was very confused.

All of them except for Cordelia had too much situational awareness. However, even Cordelia didn't have the air of a spoiled careless teenager. The day after the Expo, she went over some basic self-defense with all of them but Buffy. The group had various looks of amusement and incredulity when she suggested they get Buffy for a lesson.

"Buffy doesn't need lessons on self-defense," Xander said with a grin.

"She's little-miss slay-gal," Cordelia said.

Everyone gave Cordelia various looks of annoyance at her words, so she quickly added, "I mean she slays at fighting already."

When they looked relieved, Natasha was intrigued. _I wonder if the girl really is a fighting savant like Stark said?_

What was stranger, though, was how well all of them did for their first lesson. Cordelia was a cheerleader, so it wasn't overly surprising that she was a natural. Xander, too, seemed somewhat athletic. However, Willow was a bookworm, and Oz said the only exercise he ever did was running and playing his guitar. They both were unusually good at dodging hits.

When she finally got a chance to work with Buffy the first day, she had a feeling that Buffy was holding back, measuring her. It was odd.

"So how long have you been fighting?" Natasha asked her after their first hour working out together. They'd done some warm-up, and Buffy had showed her how she'd already mastered Tai Chi. Nat wasn't sure the boyfriend taught me response was true, but she didn't show any disbelief on her face.

"Since I was fifteen," Buffy said. "My school in Los Angeles had a gang problem, and I had started training when they crashed a school dance. Somehow, I got blamed for it as I had fought them off, and they set fire to the gym in retaliation."

"That's not good, but I'm glad you weren't hurt," she said. She was sure Buffy wasn't telling her everything, but it was true that schools would often look for a fall guy if they wanted to blame someone for damages to a school. "Did the gang members go to your school?"

Buffy shook her head. "No, but since I was the one who confronted them, others assumed I knew them and had brought them there," she explained.

That did make sense. Buffy's phone rang, interrupting. Natasha heard her say, "Hey, Matt. What's up?" Then she walked out of the training room.

Natasha wasn't sure how she felt about being so easily dismissed.

Now it was day two, and Tony had decided to join her training session with Buffy.

"Hello, Mr. Stark," she said.

"Call me, Tony," Tony said.

"Fine," she said, tilting her head in acknowledgment. Due to Tony's reputation with woman, she was working to keep things formal between them. The last thing she needed was him hitting on her and pissing off his girlfriend. However, Tony had been friendly but not flirty with her—so far.

"Okay, Buffy," Tony said to her. "I want you to really let loose with Natasha here. I want to see what you can do, and she needs to know what you can do if she is really train you."

"Are you sure? She's only human," Buffy said, glancing at Natasha with a frown.

_What the hell is that supposed to me? Of course, I'm human! What else could I be?_

Again, though, she showed nothing of her thoughts on her face. "I really do need to see how gifted you really are," she said.

"Don't worry, Buffy," Tony said. "She has signed a non-disclosure agreement. If she tells anyone anything about you, I will make sure she not only is sued, but I will have her arrested for exploitation of a minor."

Natasha arched an eyebrow. _Strong words. What kind of secrets are they keeping? _"I assure you that it is not necessary," she said. "I can be discreet."

"Okay," Buffy said, her reluctance obvious. "I can try to show you what I can do without hurting you too much."

"I have been training to fight much longer than your two years," Natasha said, beginning to find her attitude annoying. "I have two decades of experience as I was training in Russia as a _child_."

"Well, that's good," Buffy said. "Then let's see what you can do."

Her total confidence and arrogance really pissed Natasha off, so she decided to teach the girl a lesson.

Buffy, though, kept dodging every hit. Natasha moved faster, and Buffy still dodged. When Natasha tried to sweep her legs, Buffy jumped and grinned.

"That was a good try," Buffy said.

Natasha found her tone patronizing, and she faked a hit to the right while striking at with her left leg. The blow connected, and Buffy just flashed a smile of admiration.

"That was clever," Buffy said.

"I told you that I know how to fight," Natasha said coolly.

Buffy stopped smiling and nodded. "Okay," she said. Then it was like she stopped pretending and began to fight Natasha for real. She connected several hits to Natasha, and the power behind them hurt. Luckily, Natasha was versed in handling pain.

Natasha kept up Buffy's pace, and they bounced around the large training room. She managed to get two more hits in before Buffy kicked her in the stomach, knocking her off her feet and back.

Natasha realized something as she stood slowly to her feet. "You're inhuman," she said.

Buffy frowned. "That's really rude," she said. "I'm 100% human, and my blood would confirm that."

Natasha looked at Tony, who just shrugged and refrained from commenting. "A girl your size and build should not be able to kick someone my size and muscle build so easily," she said.

"You're not that much bigger than me," Buffy said with a lift of her chin.

"She's not inhuman," Tony finally spoke. "She is something else. I told you she was a savant."

Natasha decided not to press the issue and picked up two staffs and threw one to Buffy, who caught it easily. "Let's see how you do with a weapon," she said.

"Fine," Buffy said, swinging it and testing its balance. "I gotta make Giles get me one of these."

"I'll send him a dozen," Tony said, giving her a wink and grin.

"Who's Giles?" Natasha asked.

"He's my teacher back in Sunnydale," Buffy said. Then she moved forward to hit Natasha with the wooden staff.

Natasha didn't notice that their fighting had finally drew an audience as the noise had brought in Xander, who was walking by the room. He'd texted the others on the phones Tony had bought for each of them.

She was beginning to tire as the teenager showed no signs of fatigue and kept meeting her every blow. Finally, she decided to take Buffy's head off with the staff, but Buffy ducked, dodging the hit. However, Natasha anticipated that she would and bent down low, hitting her hard in the knees.

When Buffy hit the mat, her friends groaned. Cordelia, though, clapped.

"Good job, new gal!" Cordelia called out.

"Not cool, Cor," Xander told her.

"Hey, a little humility is good for the soul," she said with a smirk.

Buffy got up, grinning. "That was great!" she said, not upset.

Natasha was surprised that the teenager, who was so confident, was taking her take down so gracefully.

"It's been too long since I've had a workout like that," Buffy said to Natasha. Then she gave Tony a beaming smile. "You're the best, Tony."

She bounced over and gave Tony a hug before leading her friends out the door.

Natasha went and grabbed a water. "Why do I have a feeling that Buffy wasn't at all tired?" she asked before taking a long drink.

"Because she probably wasn't," Tony said. "I've yet to see her tired or fatigued. Shopping with her should be an Olympic sport. She's the most incredible teenager that I've ever met. All those kids are extraordinary."

"You're not telling me everything," Natasha said.

"No, I'm not," he said. "But their secrets are their own, and we don't know you well enough to trust you with their secrets."

Natasha nodded. "That's fine," she said. "I can teach Buffy a bit, but mostly training with me will just keep her in fighting form."

"That's what she'll need when she goes back home," Tony said.

Natasha wondered at his grim look and couldn't resist asking, "Is her home worse than L.A?"

Tony nodded. "Yes," he said. "It's got a real problem. Her boyfriend was like an angel from what I heard. Then he fell into a bad crowd—drugs, I guess—and then became like a different person. He tried hurting Buffy over and over. Finally, he murdered one of her teachers—her mentor Rupert Giles was dating the woman. He kidnapped Rupert, tortured him. Then he sent friends after her friends. Willow was hospitalized, and Xander ended up with a broken arm. Her friend Kendra was murdered."

"You're joking," Natasha said. She'd only heard about the murder of Kendra that Buffy had initially been charged for. Of course, she knew Willow's hospitalization was what brought Pepper and Tony into her life.

"I'm not. When she found her friend's body, the idiot principal accused her of doing the deed when she'd only just come upon the scene in the library," Tony said. "It's only because all her friends verified who the killer was that I got them to drop the charges."

"That's rough," Natasha said. "Did they catch her boyfriend?"

Tony grimaced. "I got there too late," he said. "Buffy was sword fighting with him. He disarmed her and was about to take off her head when she caught the blade in her hand. Then she killed him with it."

Natasha was shocked and didn't try to hide it. "She had to kill her boyfriend in self-defense? That's horrible!"

"Yes, it was, so I've been trying to help her and the kids out. They were all traumatized by her boyfriend," Tony shared.

Natasha found his new interest in teenagers odd, but she didn't express her opinion. Instead, she said, "That's good of you."

"Well, I'm not normally like that," he said with a self-deprecating smile. "I love Pepper, though, and once I went with her to Sunnydale and met her daughter, I was just hooked."

Natasha smiled. _Maybe that was true. He'd changed a lot since his own kidnapping._

"I'm going to take a shower," she said. He nodded as she left. Tony and her bout with Buffy had given her a lot to think about.

_*****Three Days Later*****_

Natasha was up late, writing her report on her first week with Tony and sending it to Fury. Then she heard a door shut and looked at the time. It was after one, so she opened her door to see who was up.

It was Buffy. Curious, she watched Buffy go down the hall, and she decided to follow her.

When Buffy headed to the elevator, Natasha debated on what to do.

_Do I follow her? She's not my mission. _However, she decided that since Buffy was a minor, she had some type of obligation to watch over the girl. Since Buffy had been through some recent tragedy, Natasha thought she might be acting out, so she probably should make sure she didn't get into any trouble.

She didn't wait for the elevator, but she hit the stairs, determined to track the young teen.

*****_To Be Continued******_

_I hope you enjoyed an update. Remember, this is Buffy after just two years. I am not sure that she WOULD be better than the Black Widow at this point—maybe later on but not now. Reviews are GREAT and keep me motivated. Thanks!_


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Welcome to the Club

*****_Same Night*****_

Natasha followed Buffy, curious to see where a teenager would go after dark without any of her friends. Maybe she was meeting up with the blind lawyer. She was surprised, however, to see the teen walk toward the nearest cemetery.

"Does she have a weird gothic obsession?" Natasha wondered.

Buffy could sense that she was being followed and wondered if she should do a normal teenager thing like get a cappuccino at the nearby Starbuck? However, it was probably her new trainer. Buffy figured it would be better if the woman knew the truth. If she couldn't handle the truth, then it would be better to find out sooner rather than later.

She pulled out Mr. Pointy. It was not that she knew a vampire was going to rise as Willow had made a point of not tracking that sort of thing this summer. But Buffy was feeling antsy, and she figured in a city with so many people, the odds were probably good.

Walking through the cemetery, her mind wandered. Although she still had nightmares about Angel, she did feel better. Maybe it was getting out of Sunnydale that made her feel so much better. The darkness of the hellmouth wasn't weighing on her, and Tony seemed determined to distract her.

Finally, she detected movement from a nearby grave and moved to greet the newly risen vampire.

"Man, I was wondering if I'd ever get a good slay in," Buffy said in a cheerful tone as the vampire stood on its feet.

The vampire growled. "Slayer," it hissed.

"So they say," Buffy said. "Let's drag this out a bit, so try to put up a fight, okay? I need to get rid of some energy."

Natasha was standing next to a nearby tree, stunned at what she was witnessing. First, seeing a body pull itself out of a grave creeped her the hell out. Sure, she'd heard some rumors of such things as a child in Russia, but she'd never came across anything remotely like what she was seeing.

What was even stranger was that Buffy didn't seem surprised at all. In fact, she seemed right down cheerful. Then she attacked the thing, fighting well beyond what Natasha had seen from her. Clearly, she relished the fight as she hit the thing over and over. Then she stabbed it with this stick she was carrying, and it turned to dust.

"What the hell?" Natasha exclaimed, moving closer. There was no point in hiding her presence any longer.

Buffy turned toward her. "That was a vampire—now it's a pile of dust," she said like it was no big deal.

"Vampires are real?"

"Yep," Buffy said. "I'm what's called a vampire slayer—chosen and empowered to fight them and demons. Vampires feed on the blood humans while demons are a different breed. Some don't seek to harm humans, and some do."

"How do you know?" Natasha asked.

"Normally, if they're evil, they try to kill me," Buffy said with a cheeky grin. "If you're done wiggin' out, you can come with me. I feel like there's still some more I can slay."

Natasha didn't think it was time for questions, so she remained silent. Instead, following Buffy, she watched her kill three more vampires before she was attacked by a really ugly creature that was twice her size.

When Buffy was thrown hard against a tree, Natasha felt like it was finally her job to try and help. She pulled out her gun and shot the thing in the heart. However, it kept charging toward her, and she started moving back. Then she hit a tombstone and stumbled over it. Before she could stand, Buffy was back on her feet, kicking it hard in its stomach.

Natasha scrambled to her feet, wanting to help Buffy. Buffy, though, seemed to have it well in hand as she punched the thing hard in the stomach. Then she pulled her hand back out, holding its heart.

"If I didn't see it with my own two eyes, I'm not sure I would believe it," Natasha said.

"Some demons don't have hearts in the traditional places," Buffy said. "Normally, my watcher, Giles, tells me these things, but I've seen this particular demon before."

"You _are _inhuman," Natasha observed.

"I am entirely human," Buffy said, narrowing her eyes. "My DNA would show nothing different from yours. I get my powers from magic—not science. Vampire slayers have been around for many centuries. I don't know how many—that's a question for Giles."

"That's your watcher. A watcher is what exactly?" Natasha asked.

"He's the librarian at my school, but he's my teacher and mentor," Buffy said. "He's British and big with the books. Willow and the gang help with research."

"But they can't do what you can do?" she prodded.

Buffy shook her head. "No. Although Xander did save my life the first time I was killed by a Master vampire, they don't have super strength or anything," she said. "Willow, though, has been learning magic—just a bit. She gave Angel back his soul before he destroyed the world, but I still had to kill him since he'd already used his blood to open the portal that would've sucked the world into a hell dimension."

"Seriously?" Natasha asked, trying to decide if the girl was being serious or not.

"You should probably just talk to Tony," Buffy said. "JARVIS recorded my fight with Angelus."

"I thought you said his name was Angel," Natasha asked.

"Angel was the man I loved. He had a soul, and then he lost it and became Angelus," Buffy said. "Angelus murdered Giles' girlfriend and sent his goons to kill Kendra, the slayer that was called when I died for a minute. They hurt Xander and put Willow in the hospital."

"That's how Pepper found out Willow was in Sunnydale and needed her—when she was hospitalized," Buffy explained.

"She got hurt by your boyfriend's friends?" Natasha said, trying to make sense of it.

"No, Angel was a vampire—one with a soul. He was cursed by gypsies, so he was good," Buffy said. "He helped me fight. I didn't know that the curse meant one moment of perfect happiness, and he'd revert to Angelus."

"One moment of happiness?" she asked, raising her eyebrow. When she saw Buffy's flush, she winced in sympathy. The poor girl. Now Tony's words of caution made so much sense. This girl really was extraordinary, and she had been through a lot. Too much. American girls weren't equipped to suffer—at least not any Natasha had known.

"Unfortunately," Buffy said with a grimace. She looked at her watch. "We better head back. If I don't get at least six hours of sleep, JARVIS will rat me out to Tony. I explained to him that I could get by just fine with three hours of sleep, but he quoted a bunch of articles and studies to me. He's so much worse than Giles."

"You know JARVIS is just a computer program," Natasha said, amused.

"You may think that, but there are entities that live on the internet. There was this demon Moloch that built itself a robot and tried to make whoopee with Willow, who thought a real boy liked her," Buffy said. "So now I treat all computers voices that talk to me as if they're real until proven otherwise! Besides, he sounds exactly like my British watcher."

Natasha smiled but offered up no argument. How much of this was exaggeration? Teenagers were known to embellish. She was silent as they went back to the tower.

When they stepped out of the elevator, Buffy turned to her. "Thanks for being so cool," Buffy said.

Natasha watched her walk back into her room before heading to her own quarters. She immediately went to her laptop to record the events of the night.

*****_The Next Day*****_

Tony was trying to stay awake at breakfast as Pepper gave him a rundown of business.

"Tony, are you listening?" she asked.

"I'm trying, but it's _so_ boring," Tony said, flashing her a smile. "I thought putting you in charge would keep me from all this tedium."

"I still want you to know what's going on with your company," she said.

"Babe, I trust you completely," Tony said. "How about an annual meeting? I'll be rested up and hang onto your every word."

"Six months," Pepper countered.

"Fine," Tony said. "You've got to wait five more months then."

Natalie came into the room. "Good morning," she said.

"Good morning, Miss Rushman. Help yourself to breakfast," Pepper said, smiling at the woman. They were fortunate to find someone with her skillset willing to reside with the kids for the next few weeks. She was considering offering the woman more money if she would agree to be Willow's full-time security when she went back to Sunnydale. As her adopted parents left her alone so often, Pepper would feel so much better if there was someone besides Buffy with her. Buffy had others that demanded her time and protection, and Pepper wanted someone that would be focused exclusively on her daughter's safety.

Tony gave her a sleepy smile but didn't bother with a verbal greeting as he sipped his coffee.

"So I followed Buffy last night as she went to graveyards to kill vampires," Natalie announced.

Tony sat up straight, instantly alert and wide awake. "You did?" he asked, grinning.

"Oh dear," Pepper said in concern. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Natalie said. "So Buffy told me about her calling as a vampire slayer. I guess you left out something, huh?"

"It's not something you can just blurt out," Pepper said.

"Did she tell you that Sunnydale is on a hellmouth?" Tony asked. "A real doorway to a hell dimension, so the really evil demons and vampires are drawn to the place, trying to open it."

Natalie shook her head. "No, she just hit the highlight. I just can't believe it. How can children be responsible for keeping the world safe? It's not right."

"No, it's not," Tony said, looking grim. "Now you know why I've been so focused on them. Buffy's superpowered, but the rest of them aren't. Yet they still help her fight. Can you imagine? The first vampire Xander killed was his and Willow's best friend Jesse, who was turned Buffy's first week in Sunnydale."

"God," Natalie muttered. "I guess I understand now why they are so vigilant and had such good defensive moves."

"One Halloween, they all got turned into their costumes," Tony shared. "Xander was dressed as a soldier, so he has a touch of that. Then the swimming coach tried to enhance the swim team and turned several players into fish monster. Xander was exposed to the toxin and can hold his breath under water 10 minutes he says—I've not got around to testing his claim. Another time he was possessed by a primal animal spirit with some other students. The other students—not him—ate the principal. He was busy attacking Buffy at the time."

"You're lying," she said, trying to see if he was joking.

"You think I'd make something up that was so preposterous?" Tony said with a snort.

"We spent some time in Sunnydale," Pepper said. "There's a lot of bad things there. It makes me sick that they have to go back and finish high school."

"I can't believe Xander's not insane or on drugs," Natalie said. "I can't believe they all aren't. Buffy said Xander saved her life once."

"She drowned after a vampire bit her and threw her unconscious into a pool of water," Pepper said. "Those poor kids have been through a lot, but Buffy the most."

"Are you gonna quit?" Tony asked. "I can give you more money."

"Let her answer before you throw away money," Pepper admonished.

Natalie smiled and shook her head. "You pay me plenty already, but I couldn't quit now. I'm not sure I like knowing such threats exist, but if I can do anything to help prepare those kids, I'd like to stay."

"That's great!" Tony said. "If they know they can talk to you openly, they'll learn more from you."

"That's true," Natalie said.

They were interrupted as the teenagers began trickling in.

"Willow, do you want to come to my office today?" Pepper asked. "I'd love to show you around."

"Can we do it tomorrow?" Willow asked. "Oz and I are working with Tony on these new schematics."

"Sure," Pepper said.

"Could I go? I'd love to see you at work," Cordelia asked eagerly.

"Of course," Pepper said, smiling at the girl. It was disappointing that Willow wasn't that interested in her work, but she knew how appealing Tony was.

Cordelia was ecstatic. Her time in New York with Xander and his friends had been so incredible. Who would've thought that little mousy Willow would have this amazing mother and impressive social connections? None of Cordelia's friends back home could judge her now for dating Xander—not after he was on TMZ and photographed looking hot as hell in New York with Tony Stark. Their social status was set, and she would rule the school when classes start. However, she didn't want the summer to end.

Xander smiled at her, knowing how much hanging with Pepper Potts meant to her. People thought his honey wanted to be a trophy wife, but that wasn't true. Cordelia just wanted to matter.

Buffy finally joined them, looking right down cheerful. All of her friends stared as she smiled and chatted with Willow and Xander.

"Okay, what's with the pod person?" Cordelia asked.

"Huh?" Xander asked, turning toward his girlfriend.

"Buffy is way too happy. Did you go visit one of those cute college boys?" Cordelia asked hopefully.

"No, of course not," Buffy said, glaring. "I'm just in a good mood. Is that a crime?"

"No, it's not," Willow said quickly, giving Cordelia a sour look. "It's just we've not seen you smiling too much—it's nice."

"She's in a good mood 'cause she killed some vamps last night!" Tony accused with too much glee.

Everyone glanced at the newcomer at the table, gauging her reaction.

"Oh, it's okay," Buffy said. "Natalie went slaying with me last night."

"She did?" Willow asked her eyes wide. Then she frowned. "Why didn't you ask us to come?"

"What are you jealous?" Cordelia said with snort. "I, for one, appreciate her consideration."

"I just couldn't sleep," Buffy said. "No biggie."

"Hey, did you tell your mom?" Oz asked Willow.

She looked guilty. "I forgot," she said.

"Tell me what?" Pepper asked.

"Tomorrow's the first night of the full moon," Oz said.

Tony looked giddy. "Oh my God! I can't believe it's finally here! You weren't with us the last full moon!"

"It's going to be okay," Pepper said. "Tony's got it covered."

"I'm going to ask Bruce to come—is that okay?" Tony asked.

"I don't really need any spectators," Oz said.

"But he's the Hulk," Tony protested. "If anyone can understand your issue, it'll be him."

"Dr. Banner?" Willow asked excitedly. "He's coming here? I read his paper. I have so many questions."

"I guess it's okay," Oz said, giving his girlfriend a fond look.

"What's happening?" Natalie asked. When they all grew silent, she looked puzzled. "You have to tell me. I already know Buffy's secret and about hellmouths and demons. What could it be?"

"I'm a werewolf," Oz said when everyone glanced at him.

"Seriously?" Natalie asked, trying to see if they were going to start laughing.

"We get to watch his transformation," Tony said. "I'm going to see if I can cure lycanthropy."

"Seriously? You think you can?" Willow asked, quivering with excitement and reaching for Oz's hand.

"I figure Bruce can help—he's good at this kind of thing," Tony said.

"Werewolves are real," Natalie said. "What else?"

"Mummies."

"Giant preying mantis."

"Ghost."

Natalie shook her head as they all shouted out various monsters.

Buffy grinned and said, "Welcome to the club."

When she said, "I'm not much of a joiner," they all started laughing.

*****_Chapter End*****_

_Reviews are love! Reviews are gratitude. Reviews make it all worthwhile!_

_I thank you in advance._


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: New Friendships

_*****Not Long After We Left off*****_

After breakfast was over, Pepper pulled Tony aside. "Since when do you know Dr. Bruce Banner?" she asked.

"_Know_ is kind of a loaded word," Tony said evasively.

"It means that you've met him," Pepper said. "When did you meet the Hulk?"

"In my dreams," Tony said with a smirk. "I just know we're going to be the best of buds."

"What? You told the kids you were going to bring him in, but you haven't even met him?" Pepper asked.

"I've tracked him down, and I feel very strongly that I can persuade him to come meet the kids," Tony said.

"Where is he?" Pepper asked.

"JARVIS has been tracking sightings of him the past two weeks. He was down in Brazil, but now he's in the New Orleans area. I'm going to go woo him today—I may not be back in time for dinner," Tony said.

"Well, good luck with that," Pepper said, shaking her head.

"Are you ready?" Cordelia asked Pepper.

"I am," she said, smiling at the girl.

Tony said goodbye and went to the lab to get Willow and Oz started on their project before he left for New Orleans.

Willow was excited as she shared her and Oz's idea with Tony. Even though she knew that Tony wasn't her dad, she liked to pretend he was her bio dad because he was so creatively brilliant and inventive. He didn't make her feel stupid or out of place, but he tried to make her feel good. Since her adopted parents had spent years ignoring her, finding Pepper and then Tony was like the perfect fantasy. Sometimes, she pinched herself because she couldn't believe she was awake.

"I like it," Tony said to her, giving him that smile of approval. "Are you thinking about the mass production potential?"

"Not really," Willow said.

She tried to focus on his words as he began a breakdown of ways their new design could bring in money, but it was hard. Tony Stark knew her by her first name—he smiled at her. Iron Man was her friend. At least she thought he was. Frowning, she wondered and then began to get anxious.

"Okay, what's wrong?" Tony asked, looking at her in concern.

"Nothing!" Willow said quickly.

Tony glanced at Oz, who shrugged. "Something's got you worried. I recognize it in those Pepper-like eyes," he said. "Tell Uncle Tony."

Willow grinned. "Uncle, huh?"

"Well, you already have a dad, so I figure honorary uncle works, right?" Tony asked with a wide grin.

"That's actually pretty great 'cause I was just kind of wondering," she said, her voice trailing off as she looked down, running out of courage.

Tony gave Oz a quizzical look, but he just shrugged and stepped away. Tony flashed the impossibly tight-lipped teenager a disgruntled look, but then he reached out and lifted Willow's chin up. Their eyes met. "What are you wondering?" he prodded gently.

"If you were my friend," she admitted in a low tone, her face flushed red in embarrassment.

"Of course, I'm your friend," Tony assured her. "I don't have very many friends—not real friends. I have Pepper, Happy, and Rhodey—only three. Meeting you and your friends has opened up my world as much as yours."

"But everyone knows you and loves you!" Willow insisted in surprise at his words.

Tony grinned. "No, everyone knows _of_ me, and they want things from me. Of course, Ironman is cool, so they want to know the suit more than the man—if that makes sense," he said. Willow nodded. "But I make people crazy, and I've not always been a very nice man. I have a huge number of enemies, especially when I stopped making weapons. My honorary uncle even tried to kill me 'cause he was so pissed about that."

Willow's eyes widened. "I'm sorry," she said.

"Yes, it sucked, but now my life is great," he said. "I finally got your mom to fall in love with me, and she's been working hard to civilize me." Willow giggled as he hoped. "She and Happy are my only family."

"Until now," Willow said, a hopeful note in her voice.

Tony nodded. "Absolutely. Maybe someday, I can convince Pepper to let me knock her up, but until then—you're it, kid," Tony said. "My mostly grown kid, more than a niece, but not quite a daughter. Do you get what I'm saying? You're my family now."

Willow's eyes filled with tears at his words, and she threw herself in his arms.

Tony hugged her back and felt a moment of contentment that he had never known. When he glanced over at Oz, Oz gave him a thumbs up and an approving smile.

Now why did a teenager's approval mean so much more than any million-dollar deal?

_*****SHIELD Headquarters******_

Since the teens were staying in, Natasha accompanied Pepper and Cordelia to her work. When Happy okay'd her to take a lunch, she used the opportunity to slip away and check in with Fury.

"Did you get my report?" she asked.

"I got it and have been spending hours trying to verify the things you reported," Fury said, annoyed.

"I didn't lie," Natasha said, giving him a look.

"I didn't think you did," Fury said. "However, deceptions are known to be perpetrated—even on the smartest and best." He looked at his computer. "Vampires, demons? What else?"

"I've been told ghosts and pretty much everything you thought wasn't real, is," she said.

"So now we have to worry about f***ing fairytales?" Fury asked in annoyance.

"I don't know, sir. I didn't get a list," Natasha said. "From what I've been told, the Watcher's Council in Great Britain are the experts, and Buffy Summer's mentor, a Rupert Giles, is officially in charge of training and guiding Buffy."

"The World Council has informed me that I am to stay out of the playing ground of the slayer and her watcher as some of them did know about the players you uncovered," Fury bit out. "I spent an hour arguing with them this morning, but they informed me—in no uncertain terms—that if I violated ancient treaties, I would not only be out of a job, but much worse."

"So they know that there's a portal to hell in California guarded by a bunch of teenagers and a librarian?" Natasha asked. This was hard to believe. Suddenly, the babysitting job seemed a much bigger deal.

Fury looked disgusted as he nodded. "They do. They know everything I do and more. We can only get involved if asked," he said.

"So if Buffy asks for help, it's okay?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yes, so it's important that you continue to work these teenagers, drawing them close, especially the slayer," Fury said.

Natasha nodded. "Will do," she said. "Tony seems very invested in all of them, so I'm sure he plans on working to keep them safe."

"For once, I am glad that he's involved," Fury said. "It might be good for him, make him learn how to work with a team. Maybe, he'll be ready for my Avengers initiative one day soon."

"What about Buffy? She's an actual superhero. Do you want to recruit her?" Natasha asked.

He shook his head. "No. She needs to finish school and focus on the hell dimension," he said. "I would love, though, to use her town as a training ground for others." He rubbed his hands together as he considered it. He pushed a button on his phone. "Send in Phil."

Natasha grinned and stood to greet a Phil Coulson. "Good to see you, Phil," she said.

"You, too," Phil said.

"I have a new mission for you," Fury said. "I want you to go to Sunnydale, California, and get a job working at that high school."

"Sir?" Phil asked, confused.

"The town is on a hellmouth. I'll send you the file," Fury said.

"What job do you want me to get?" Phil asked.

"Any job that allows you to interact with the vampire slayer, Buffy Summers," Fury said.

Phil gave Natasha a curious look and then turned back to his boss. "Who is she?"

"She is a student at that school. The town is full of demons and vampires," Fury said. "So don't go outside at night until you know how to kill them—Romanoff will catch you up to speed."

"Very good, sir," Phil said.

Fury felt better already. "Phil will keep an eye on the hellmouth, and if there's an opportunity for you to extend your employment back to Sunnydale—all the better," Fury said.

"Do you think that's likely?" Natasha added.

"Well, I'm figuring if I had a daughter, who lived on a hellmouth, and I was fully aware of the threats that place posed, I would want to do whatever I could to protect her," Fury said.

"So you're thinking that Pepper will ask me to continue helping the kids?" Natasha said.

Fury nodded. "I'd place money on it," Fury said.

"I will make arrangements," Phil said. "It was good to see you Agent Romanoff."

"Call me, Natasha," Natasha said, smiling at him. "We're going to be working together."

Phil managed to hide his excitement as he'd never had an opportunity to work with one of the agency's most famous agents. "Will Barton be joining us?" he couldn't help but ask.

She shrugged. "He's been on vacation," she said.

"He will be back in circulation in another four weeks," Fury said. "If you need back up, we'll see if he's available."

"Vampires can be killed with anything wooden," Natasha asked.

"I will add that to the file," Fury said. He glanced at Phil, who gave a nod before leaving the room.

Natasha looked at the time. "I better head back," she said.

"Keep me posted," Fury said. "With Coulson in place, we'll at least have intel regardless of how things fall with Stark and Potts."

"Oh, before I forget. Tony says he's going to contact Dr. Bruce Banner to help him with his new experiment," she said with a smile.

"I am afraid to ask," Fury said.

"Werewolves. Daniel Osborne, the boyfriend, is a werewolf," Natasha shared.

Fury shook his head. "Of course, he is. God d*** werewolves," he muttered as his agent laughed and left him alone in his office. "Next, they'll tell me leprechauns are hiding all the gold."

_*****New Orleans*****_

Tony walked into the clinic where Dr. Banner was working. The man was an enigma. He went from rundown medical clinic to rundown medical clinic.

"JARVIS, did you make me an appointment?" Tony asked.

"Of course, sir," JARVIS said.

Tony walked into the clinic and saw three people waiting even though the clinic was closing in an hour.  
"Anthony Potts," he said to the receptionist.

"The doctor will be with you soon," she said, handing him a form to fill out.

Tony scribbled something on it, and then gave the woman a few hundred-dollar bills. The woman's eyes widened. "I just need to speak to a doctor. I don't want this on my insurance," he said.

When he finally sees Dr. Bruce Banner, the man stared at Tony a full minute before speaking. Then he put down the clipboard he was holding and faced Tony. "Why is Tony Stark giving fake names at my clinic?" he asked.

"Because he really wanted to meet you," Tony said. He held out his hand, and Dr. Banner stepped forward to shake it.

"What can I help you with, Mr. Stark?" he asked, eying Tony warily.

"Call me Tony. I just know we're going to be the best of friends," Tony said.

"Oh, yea? Why is that?" Dr. Banner asked.

"Well, I have recently discovered that the world is full of true evil like demons and vampires, and my girlfriend's daughter Willow has been living on a hellmouth in Southern California," Tony shared.

"Excuse me?" Dr. Banner asked, not sure he was serious.

"It's true. I've seen vampires turn to dust when staked with a piece of wood," Tony said. He pulled out the stake he now kept in his pocket.

"Okay. Why are you telling me this?" Dr. Banner asked.

"Because Willow—that's the name of my girlfriend's daughter—has a boyfriend named Oz who is a werewolf," Tony said. "Before you dismiss it as crazy, keep in mind your own Hulk transformation would seem crazy to others, too."

"All right," Dr. Banner said, not arguing.

"I was wanting to observe his transformation tonight and then start working on a possible cure," Tony said. "I was wondering if you would be interested in assisting me?"

"You've got to be joking!" Dr. Banner said in disbelief.

"No, I'm entirely serious," Tony said. "You have a science background different than my own. My kids are very brilliant, Willow and her boyfriend are geniuses. However, they don't know anything about gene manipulation or DNA. I know you've probably been trying to find a cure for the Hulk."

"There is no cure," Dr. Banner said flatly.

"Well, then you can understand more than anyone how this kid might feel," Tony said. "Three days a month, he transforms into a mindless monster that will kill anything it sees."

Bruce kept his eyes on Tony, looking for signs that the man was trying to con him. However, he didn't see any.

"Look, I know you don't know me—at least not the real me," Tony said. "I'm more than the media portrays. I really want to help these kids. There so incredible—the things they've survived and they things they've done will blow your mind. It'd mean a lot to Willow and Oz if you came with me and tried to help them."

"You know it's not safe, Tony," Dr. Banner said. "I could hurt them."

"Well, they've been hurt before," he said. "And they'll be hurt in the future since they fight monsters back in their hometown. They don't care about the risks, but I have taken some precautions."

"What kind of precautions?"

"I've created a safe room made of titanium that we can take you to if you start to transform or lure you to if you do," Tony said. "I've also put knock out gas in all my rooms through the sprinkler system, so we can knock you out if something happens."

"That's a good idea," Dr. Banner said, impressed.

"Thank you," Tony said, grinning. "What do you say? Will you come with me, Bruce? I'm calling you Bruce 'cause I just know we're going to be pals."

Bruce shook his head, not sure this was a good idea. However, he was intrigued and needed to see for himself if Tony was telling the truth.

"Fine. I'll go with you," he said.

"Great. I have the jet waiting and a car out front," Tony said.

"Of course, you do," Bruce muttered. "I have to finish up my shift here. I hate leaving them short-handed."

"I figured you'd say that, so I have rented a doctor for you," Tony said with a smirk.

"Huh?"

"I got a doctor—a highly qualified doctor—who has a practice in New Orleans. He's going to volunteer for the next five days," Tony said.

"That's amazing," Bruce said, finally relaxing. "They need so much help. Too many uninsured in this area."

"Yes," Tony said. "I'm working on getting a rotation of doctors to come in here and volunteer one day a week. I figure that would relieve your mind."

"It does," Bruce said. "Thanks."

"I'll get out of here, so you can finish up. I'll be waiting in my car out front," Tony said.

Bruce nodded and followed him out. "I can see the last patient," he told his nurse as Tony left.

A few hours later, he couldn't believe he was in New York. Then he was facing a group of teenagers, not just the two Tony mentioned.

"Hi," Buffy said. "Don't worry. I promised Tony that if you turn into the Hulk, I won't try to slay you."

Bruce looked at Tony, puzzled at her remarks.

"Oh, did I forget to mention Buffy? She's Willow's best friend and a superpowered vampire slayer, called to fight the forces of darkness," Tony said with a smug smile.

Bruce had a feeling he was in over his head.

*****_Chapter End*****_

_So I didn't see Fury just leaving a hellmouth alone. I had no plans to bring in Phil, but I could totally see this. I hope you think it fits. No, there's no Agents of SHIELD as this is way before that, but Phil is too great a character to not use if an opportunity comes up._

_I really hope you enjoyed this update. Thanks so much for reading and more thanks for reviewing!_


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Transforming

_*****Mostly Where We Left Off*****_

Bruce wasn't sure what to think about the group he'd fallen in with. Tony was both different and the same as he appeared on television. He was gregarious and lightning fast, but his real affection for the teenagers was apparent at the dinner they had. Buffy's promise not to slay the Hulk was amusing at first, and then Tony told him that she was a vampire slayer. If it was for the fact that no one laughed after his pronouncement, Bruce would've assumed it was a joke.

"Tony, it's getting late," Willow said anxiously. She glanced at Oz, who was looking tense.

Bruce had trouble believing the little guy was going to transform into a werewolf, but he got up with Tony and the two teenagers.

"Aren't you guys coming?" Tony asked Xander, Buffy, and Cordelia.

"We've seen this a bunch already," Xander said.

"We've taken shifts, and if you're going to be the guy who has wolf duty, more power to you," Cordelia said. "I need my beauty sleep."

"What she said," Buffy said. She looked at Natasha. "Do you want to go spar?"

"I kind of wanted to watch the werewolf," she said. "How about in an hour?"

"Okay. I'll call my mom and my watcher," she said.

"Watcher?" Bruce asked Tony.

"He's her sensei, basically," Tony said. "He's this British guy, who trains her and looks up the demons and tells her how to kill them."

Bruce looked at the teenagers still in the room to see if Tony was being truthful, and they nodded.

"Yes, that's basically what Giles does," Willow said. "He's also the librarian at our school, but that's mostly just a cover."

Tony led them down a floor to the lab where he had installed a cage for Oz.

"I put up a privacy screen," Tony said. He pushed a button and a screen came up.

"That's good," Willow said. "If it wasn't removable, the wolf would just destroy it."

"Is it okay if I ask you some questions?" Bruce asked Oz.

Oz nodded.

"When you are the wolf, do you have any memories?" he asked.

Oz shook his head. "No. None," he said. "It's like I go to sleep, and the wolf takes over."

"That's what happens with me and the Hulk," Bruce said, feeling a connection to this young man. When he glanced at Tony, he was looking smug. He knew Bruce would feel this way.

"It's time," Oz said. He walked to the cage and shut himself in, testing the door to see if it was secure.

"When does the change usually happen?" Bruce asked Willow.

"When the moon is at its peak," she said.

Oz went behind the screen and stripped.

"Tomorrow, ladies, I'm going to need you to not be here," Tony said to Willow and Natasha. "I want to watch the transformation, and I don't need Oz's modesty getting in the way of that."

Willow blushed while Natasha smirked. "Who are you again?" Bruce asked her.

"I'm the bodyguard-slash-assistant-slas-trainer of the kids," she supplied.

"Happy hired her to assist me in whatever I need," Tony said. "But she's primarily a bodyguard. She's also working with the kids on self-defense."

"That's good," Bruce said. Noises from the cage drew their attention. It was clear that Oz's transformation was taking place.

Tony pushed a button, and a light shined on the screen Oz was behind. They all watched as his body morphed and changed into the wolf.

"Wow!" Natasha said.

"This is so fascinating," Bruce said. He hadn't been completely sure Tony was telling the truth.

"It hurts a lot," Willow said, looking sad. "Do you think you can help him?"

"We can try," Bruce said.

Tony removed the screen, so they could see the wolf. "It's so ugly," Tony said with a grimace.

"We really need to get a hair sample," Bruce said.

"By all means," Tony said, gesturing. "Go for it."

"I'm sure they'll be some in the room after it's over," Bruce said.

"There usually is," Willow said.

Bruce started discussing things with Tony. "Is lycanthropy a pathogen? Or is it hereditary?" he asked.

"Both," Willow answered. "He found out that his two-year-old cousin was a born wolf—no one in the family bothered to warn him. His baby cousin bit him on the finger."

"That was really irresponsible," Bruce said.

"Tell me about it," Willow said.

"I bet Oz doesn't hold a grudge, though," Tony said knowingly.

"No," Willow said. "Oz doesn't really get mad about stuff. Not that I've ever seen."

They all watched the wolf as it raged against the bars, trying to get out.

"I guess the wolf holds all his anger," Tony observed.

"I don't think the wolf is him at all," Willow said.

"It is," Bruce said. "It's changed him fundamentally. I know from experience. When you have a dangerous part of you that you can't control, it has to change you. At least for him it's only three days a month."

Willow hung out a bit as she hated to leave Oz when he was a wolf, but she knew that Tony was going to stay up watching Oz. When Bruce and Tony started talking in science words that she couldn't follow, she knew it was time to call it a night.

Natasha followed her out, more than a bit shaken at what she witnessed. It wasn't that she thought they were lying to her, but she had hoped there was some other explanation or something. However, it was clear that Daniel Osborne transformed into a mindless beast. It was disconcerting, especially as she had spent some time with the very self-contained teenager. In fact, he was one of her favorites as he listened intently and never wasted words. He was unusual, and Natasha thought he and Willow were very adorable together.

Her world had become very strange.

*****_The Next Day*****_

Oz was a bit uncomfortable with the scrutiny as Tony was relentless and had absolutely no subtly. However, he knew the man was a genius and adored Willow. He'd been very good to Oz and the rest of Willow's friends. If anyone could find a cure for his condition, it would probably be Tony. The fact that he brought in Dr. Banner, a man who had an even more dangerous monster inside him, was surprising but not unwelcome. Oz felt a kinship with the man. Watching someone be able to so easily hold their own with Tony was fascinating.

It was breakfast, and Oz and Willow were trying to follow Tony and Dr. Banner's conversation. It was hard.

"I feel stupid," Willow said in a whisper to Oz.

"You're not stupid," Oz said.

"Of course, you're not," Tony said, proving that he was never as self-involved as people thought.

"Honey, Tony has two graduate degrees, and no matter how well-read a person is or intelligent, you aren't going to be able to know everything he knows," Pepper said, reaching over and squeezing her hand. She, too, was amused at Tony's new friendship with Dr. Banner. It seemed that Tony—as usual—was right. The two men had hit it off, and she was happy for him. He had no real peers his own age. Rhodey and Happy were great friends to him, but they couldn't talk science with him.

"I didn't realize that it was possible to find bigger nerds than you and Oz," Cordelia said with a grin.

"Nerds will rule the world," Willow said happily.

"So do you think you would like to spend the day with me?" Pepper asked Willow. "I know the guys will be busy."

Willow knew that this was the second time her mother had asked, so she agreed. The day was fun. Her mother was clearly respected by all her employees, and she had a way of talking to people that was gentle but firm. Willow was taking mental notes.

For lunch, Pepper took her to a café around the corner.

"I'm sorry it's not some place fancier," Pepper said.

"Oh, no, this is great," Willow said. "Fancy places make me nervous."

Pepper smiled. "I can't tell you how much this time with you has meant to me, Willow," she said. "I'm so grateful that your parents let you stay the summer with me."

"It's not like they ever wanna stay the summer with me," Willow said with a shrug. "I mean sometimes I go with them on their trips. Now that I'm older. But psychology is kind of boring."

Pepper smiled. "They do love you," she said.

"Oh, I know that they do," Willow said. "I just wish sometimes that my mom was more like Buffy's."

"It's good that you have such great friends—that's important," Pepper said.

"I can't believe you let them come spend the summer with us," Willow said.

"Well, that was Tony," Pepper said with a smile. "He just wanted to remove you all from the hellmouth for a bit, and I agreed that you all needed a break."

"Still, you didn't have to agree to share me with him or yourself with them, and I do appreciate it," Willow said. "It's been great for everyone. I feel like we're all even closer than we were. Cordelia and I are even getting along, and that's a miracle."

"Tony adores her sarcastic tongue," Pepper said. "I think they must share a family tree branch somewhere."

"Tony's much nicer than Cordelia," Willow said.

"You've never seen him tear into someone he didn't like or respect," Pepper said. "Put your intelligence with Cordelia's personality, and you can imagine what I've seen more than once."

Willow laughed. "Okay. That might be something to see," she said.

"The board was dubious when I took over for Tony, but after our second meeting, more than one person told me their blood pressure had went down because they no longer dreaded what Tony would say or do," she said. "Of course, that was if he bothered to show up."

"Do you think you and Tony will ever get married?" Willow asked.

"I don't know," Pepper said. "Maybe. I would've said when Tony grows up, but he's showed a lot of maturity with you kids—I've seen a side of him that I didn't know existed."

"You know the other day I asked him if we were friends," Willow said.

"What did he say?" Pepper asked.

"He said a lot," Willow said, smiling at the happy memory. "He was quite wonderful. He said of course we were friends, but he also said that until he could convince you to let him knock you up—those are his words—that I was like his kid, too. He said that he could be like my uncle since he didn't have any family but you and Happy."

Pepper felt her eyes fill with tears, and she fell even more in love with Tony. She used her napkin to wipe her eyes. "I knew Tony had a bigger heart than he showed people, but I didn't realize until this summer just how truly big it was. It makes me love him so much," she said.

"You're going to have to marry him and make him a daddy," Willow said excitedly.

Pepper nodded. "I know," she said. Meeting these kids had really pushed up the timetable in their relationship. He was proving to her that he wasn't simply someone she could trust, but he was someone she could count on.

*****_A Week Later*****_

Tony and Bruce were still working on their werewolf cure and getting along like a house on fire several days later. They weren't neglecting the teenagers, though, as both men found the teenagers fun to be around.

Buffy was training a lot with Natasha, having decided that she liked the redhead. Her friends were actually learning some moves, but it was Cordy that was showing the most promise. This was shocking to everyone but Xander, who knew Cordelia was both athletic and capable.

Cordelia loved excelling at something that previously only Buffy was good at, and she especially liked showing off in front of Tony, who clearly adored her. Grant it, he seemed to love all of them, but Cordelia had decided that she was his favorite.

Buffy had invited Matt over to spar with them, and they were all blown away at the blind guy's skills.

"I should just stop trying," Xander complained after he got put on his tail for the third time by Matt. It was humiliating to get beat by a blind guy even after he was used to getting slapped around by girls (Buffy and Cordy).

"I've been training for a few years now," Matt said to him.

"Well, I've been getting beat up by bullies for years—I should be better by now," Xander grumbled.

"Why?" Natasha asked him.

Xander couldn't think of a reason, so he stopped complaining.

Buffy decided that she wanted to spar with Matt blindfolded. "Giles has thrown knives at me before while I was blindfolded," she said.

"Really?" Natasha asked surprise.

"I didn't get stabbed, so I think this will be okay," Buffy said. "Giles can't really spar with me."

"She just wants to show off," Cordelia said to Xander.

Although Buffy heard her comment, she ignored it. In truth, she wanted to understand how Matt could fight so well without being able to see. What if she lost her vision someday? It wouldn't cause her to lose her slayerness, and she would still have a job to do. People would still die if she couldn't fight. If Matt could fight blind, then she had to learn how to do so, too.

Natasha handed her a black blindfold, and she tied it around her eyes.

Matt had spoken to Buffy on the phone a few times since the expo, and he really liked her. Because she had recently lost her boyfriend, he knew that she wasn't really on the prowl. This allowed him to relax around her and not worry about accidentally lead her on. Although she was underage, they were only two years apart, and he felt a connection to her. Somehow, though, he sensed there were things she wasn't telling him. Why did she have a trainer that threw knives at her? Why would a Californian teenage girl need that level of training? It didn't add up. Why did she want to fight blindfolded? He could tell, however, she was driven to excel, and he wanted to learn more about the intriguing teen. He hadn't ever met a girl like her before—he didn't know girls like her existed.

He knew that he had no desire to hurt or embarrass her in front of her friends. The girl Cordelia, in particular, seemed like she would enjoy Buffy's defeat.

"Are you ready?" he asked, letting Buffy hear where he was.

"I am," Buffy said.

He stepped forward and threw a half-hearted punch, but Buffy surprised him by deflecting it. Then he threw a kick, and she caught it and shoved him back.

He smiled, impressed. He had heard she was very talented, but to be able to fight blindfolded was more impressive to Matt. Unlike him, Buffy wasn't used to not having her sight.

Deciding to test her, he pressed her harder. His fist connected to her face. "Are you okay?" he asked, pausing.

"Of course," she said. Then she kicked out, hitting him in the stomach.

_Damn_, _she was strong_!

Tony had been working in the lab with his new buddy when JARVIS had informed him that he might be interested in what was happening in the gym.

Instantly, he stopped working and turned to Bruce. "Come on," he said.

Bruce followed him to the gym and was surprised to see Buffy fighting some new guy with her eyes covered. "That's Matt. He's pre-law," Tony said, watching the two. "The little bugger didn't tell me he was so talented."

"Why is Buffy fighting blindfolded?" Bruce asked.

"I'm not sure," Tony said. "Matt's blind. Maybe she wanted to make the fight more fair."

Bruce looked at the fight with new eyes. He wasn't sure who he was more impressed with.

"Isn't it cool?" Willow said with a grin. "They're amazing!"

"Yea, so Buffy can fight blind-folded," Cordelia said sourly. "Big whoop. That Matt can keep up with her—that's what I find impressive."

"Me, too," Tony said with a grin.

It looked like he was going to have to keep a special eye on this future lawyer—he was just full of surprises.

Eventually, Buffy swept Matt's legs out from under him, ending the fight.

She took off the blindfold and helped him up. "Are you okay?" she asked him.

"Of course," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "You did really well."

"You both did," Tony said. "Matt, why didn't you tell me you could do that?"

Matt looked at him and smiled. "Why would I? We've spoken three times previously," he pointed out.

Tony laughed. He loved clever people.

*****_Chapter End****_

_Reviews are the best!_


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Wrapping up the Summer

_*****Sunnydale*****_

Phil Coulson waited until the Fourth of July celebrations were over to secure his new position at Sunnydale High school. Luckily, they had an opening for a subject he was actually qualified to teach as he had a bachelors in American History with a minor in military history. He'd been in town a week, and he had only ventured outside after dark twice. The first time he had been followed by two guys. Normally, he would have stopped and confronted his shadows. However, since he had been warned about the vampires in town, he felt it prudent to make it to safety rather than try and fight. The second time, he had been at the diner across from his apartment when he heard a commotion in the alley.

That's when he saw his first vampire. He couldn't just let the monster kill the girl it had in its clutches, so he yelled, "Hey, let her go!"

The guy snarled and looked at him with yellow eyes. When Phil saw the fangs, he realized that all his intel was correct. The town really did have vampires. Instinctively, he pulled out his gun and repeated his warning: "Let her go!"

When the creature wasn't making a move to obey, he discharged his gun, shooting it in the leg. Luckily, it had the desired effect. The girl was free and didn't waste any time running off. However, now the vampire had a new target: him. Just when he thought he was going to be the monster's next meal, he was saved by a teenager.

"Did I hear a gun?" the girl said. She looked at Phil with interest.

"I was making it let the girl go he was trying to eat," Phil said.

"Good thinking," the girl said. "But you need to go and let me handle this."

Phil was not inclined to allow a child to fight a monster, but the girl moved past him before he could protest. Then she was fighting the vampire. Clearly, she was super powered as she moved incredibly fast. When she pulled out a piece of wood and stabbed the vampire, it turned to dust. Then he realized not only were his reports accurate, but the girl must be a vampire slayer.

"You are a vampire slayer," he said.

She smiled. "You've heard of me?" she asked in surprise.

"Not exactly," he said. "I'm a history teacher, and I've heard rumors."

"Then you know this town isn't safe at night, right?" she asked.

He nodded. "I live across the street," he said, pointing. "I was having dinner when I heard a girl yell for help. I couldn't just do nothing."

"You're very brave," the slayer said. "Be careful. A gun full of holy water would work better than bullets, however."

"You mean like a squirt gun?" he asked incredulously.

She grinned and winked. "Yep," she said.

He held out his hand. "I'm Phil. Phil Coulson," he said.

"Faith," she said, shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you. Be careful."

Phil watched her walk away before heading back to his apartment. Once inside, he made up a detailed report of his encounter with the vampire and the new slayer. Then he considered how he'd go about getting holy water and a squirt gun. Wouldn't Director Fury go just a bit nuts when he heard? The though amused Phil, but he wanted to survive this assignment.

Now it was time for him to meet the mother of Buffy Summers, the original slayer. He stood in front of her art gallery, impressed with the window display. Then he went inside. The woman from his file was prettier in person, and he gave her a friendly wave as he walked around the gallery. She allowed him to look a few minutes before approaching him.

"Hello," she said. "Can I help answer any questions?"

"I just moved in town and could use something to liven up my apartment," he said.

"Well, I am happy to help," she said. She held out her hand. "Joyce Summers. This is my gallery."

"Phil Coulson. I'm the new history teacher at the high school," he said, knowing that would put her instantly at ease. It did.

She relaxed. "Oh, my daughter will be a senior this year," she said.

"Really?" he said. "That's great."

"She's got a great group of friends," Joyce said. "She's been in New York with them as the spring semester was particularly rough. A teacher died and her boyfriend. They're checking out some schools."

"That's awful," he said. "The principal mentioned the loss of the teacher—a gang problem or something."

"Or something," Joyce said sourly. "I'm going to be joining Buffy in a few days, so my assistant will be running the shop."

"Well, I'll try to pick out something while you're here," Phil said. She walked with him and pointed out a few items, sharing the history. Phil found her easy to talk to—charming. His file didn't say much about her outside of her divorce. Did she know about the supernatural or her daughter? He needed to find out more. It was too bad she was already planning on leaving town for a bit.

******_New York*****_

Buffy was excited that her mother was coming to New York to tour some schools with her. It would be good to spend time with her mom away from the hellmouth. When she'd last seen her mom, she was still in a fog of misery over what had happened with Angel. Now she felt like she was in a much better place. They had gone to the Hamptons for Fourth of July weekend, which Cordelia had gone on and on about. Buffy didn't think old money was any better than new money as she had grown up around wealth in Los Angeles, but Cordelia did. Watching Tony and Bruce create their own fireworks and then shoot them off on the beach, though, had been a sight to behold. Pepper put her foot down after the fire department was called, but they had fun while it lasted.

She drove with Happy to the airport to get her mom, waving at her as Joyce came through the gate.

"Mom!" she yelled. Joyce smiled and moved to embrace her. Buffy was careful not to hug her too tightly, but she stilled pulled her close, having not realized how much she had missed her mother until right then.

Joyce was happy to be reunited with her daughter and more than a little bit overwhelmed by Tony's tower, which they all called home for the summer. "I can see you've been living the high life," she said.

Buffy grinned. "Wait until you see the photos we took the night of the gala," she said.

It warmed Joyce's heart to see her daughter so happy, especially after the misery of the past few months. Allowing her to come to New York had clearly been the right call. "I can't wait," she said.

Buffy took her to her room, so Joyce could drop off her bag. Then she gave her a tour of the place, asking how things were back home.

"Good. I met the new history teacher at the high school," Joyce said.

"Really? Mr. Clements finally retired," Buffy said. "Willow will be very excited. What's the new teacher like?"

"He was very nice," Joyce said. "He came into my shop actually—that's how I met him."

"Oh, he's got taste?" Buffy asked with a grin. "Is he single?"

"I didn't ask, but he lives in apartment and didn't mention having anyone help him decorate," Joyce remarked.

"Well, I hope you got his number!" Buffy said.

Joyce blushed, causing Buffy to squeal. "Oh my God! You did!"

"Not exactly," Joyce said. "All new customers give me their contact info as I keep them on my mailing list for shows and stuff."

"That's handy," Buffy said with a smirk.

"Miss Summers, Sir has refreshments in the dining hall if your mother is in need of sustenance," JARVIS announced.

"Thanks, JARVIS," Buffy said.

"Who's that?" Joyce asked.

"He's Tony's imaginary friend who runs his life—the parts that Pepper doesn't," Buffy said. "Tony says he's an artificial intelligence computer program, but he's too cool to be just that."

Joyce laughed. "Well, the man is a genius," she said.

Buffy took her to the snacks laid out and found Xander there stuffing his face. He smiled and hugged Joyce. "Glad you could join us, Mrs. Summers," he said.

"Please, Xander, call me Joyce," she said, smiling. "Buffy tells me you've had a great time."

"The very best ever," Xander said. "It's going to suck going to back to the hellmouth we call home."

Willow and Oz came into the room, greeting Mrs. Summers. They all sat at the table eating a snack while the teenagers told her about the past few weeks. Cordelia arrived with the photos from the gala as she insisted on real copies to show off back home.

"Mom told me they hired the new history teacher, Will, and he's a real hottie," Buffy said, winking at her mom.

"I never said that!" Joyce exclaimed.

"You didn't deny it, though," Buffy said with a grin.

"You're incorrigible," Joyce said.

"So tell us about the new slayer," Xander said. "You've met her, right?"

Joyce nodded. "I have," she said. "I had her and her watcher over when they first came to town. She's about the same age as you all, but she is quite beautiful and fun loving."

"Cool," Buffy said.

"How's her watcher? Is it a man or woman?" Willow asked eagerly.

"It's a woman named Diana," Joyce said. "She's very British like Giles, but she seems to understand that Faith is an American and won't be exactly like the council expects."

"That's good," Buffy said. "Is she going to stick around when school starts?"

"I told Giles that I wanted her to," Joyce said. "If Kendra died with both of you fighting on the hellmouth, then surely both of you are needed." She looked unhappy at the thought.

"Don't worry, Joyce," Xander said. "Tony's been cooking up all kinds of cool things in his lab. So far, we have protective chainmail and neck guards. He's working on weapons. We're going to be fine."

"We also have been learning self-defense," Cordelia said. "I totally kick ass now."

"That's true," Buffy said. "Cordy is very good. Tony hired a bodyguard, who trains all of us."

"Really? That's great," Joyce said, feeling better already about everything. Having someone with Tony's resources was a good thing. "Did you know that I received a very large check in the mail recently? I'm assuming Mr. Stark had something to do with the Watcher's Council deciding to pay you."

"Awesome! I can buy more shoes and weapons!" Buffy said eagerly.

"I was thinking that we could use it for your college fund," Joyce said.

"Or that," Buffy said with a sigh.

Tony made an appearance, overhearing the end of the conversation. "I believe all the kids should be getting some money from Giles when they return," he announced. He held out his hand. "So glad to see you again, Mrs. Summers."

"Thank you so much for everything, Mr. Stark," Joyce said, shaking his hand.

"Please, call me Tony," Tony said.

"As long as you call me Joyce," Joyce said.

"What's this about money?" Cordelia asked.

Tony grinned at her. "I got the skinflints to cough up some money as JARVIS uncovered the huge amount of assets the Council has," he said. "I told Travers if he didn't start paying his slayers, I would tell the Prime Minister and our President about his exploitation of minors."

The teenagers laughed. "How much?" Xander asked.

Tony shrugged. "You will have to speak to Giles," he said. "Clearly, Buffy will get more as will the new slayer. You will get paid for at least world saving events."

"That's great," Willow said.

Naturally, Xander had to call Giles and ask him about it and was ecstatic to know he might get a decent set of wheels when school started after all. "Uncle Rory was going to give me one of his junkers, but it'd be nice to have a used car that won't break down when I leave town. I want to go on a road trip after graduation. Drive around and see the country," he shared.

"Oh, really?" Cordelia asked. "Any plans on me accompanying you on this journey?"

"If you want to join me, I'd love to have you," Xander said, smiling at his girlfriend. They'd not talked any about what they were doing after graduation. Cordelia had her heart set on college out of Sunnydale, and Xander had no plans on going to college.

"I might be persuaded," she said, giving him a coy look.

He pulled her in for a kiss. The two of them hadn't yet had sex, but her birthday was next month. Cordelia had decided eighteen was definitely old enough to lose her virginity. Of course, her friends all thought she'd lost her virginity to Daryl Epps as he was older than she was, but he had never pressured her, knowing she was only a freshman when they dated. She loved Xander, and she wanted him to be her first. It was foolish to think he would be her only—they were too young to start planning their futures that way. However, her mother always told her that if she waited until she had real feelings for the guy, her first time would be special. It would be something that she would look back with fondness no matter where life took her.

Xander was just thrilled to have a girlfriend who let him get to second base, and he was crazy about her. The fact that Willow and her were now getting along made things so much better. He was a happy guy with simple needs, after all.

Joyce felt good seeing how happy all the kids were, but she wasn't so sure that she would be able to be so casual about the danger they put themselves in.

Fighting monsters or slaying vampires was not what she wanted for her daughter. She watched as Buffy asked Tony about a new weapon, and she was so animated. It had been too long since Joyce had seen her daughter so passionate about anything. Why did it have to be weapons and monster slaying that did this? It was wrong on so many levels, and Joyce was trying hard to be supportive. She had just wanted so much more for her only child, but her daughter dying before graduation was a real possibility. Joyce worked hard to keep the smile on her face as she knew Buffy needed her support. She needed Joyce to be okay with her calling, and Joyce was working hard to be there. How did a mother resign themselves to her child dying before she did? Buffy had already died once, and Kendra was dead. The odds weren't in her daughter's favor, and fear for Buffy kept Joyce up at night.

Yet she smiled and kept the fear at bay.

Buffy, of course, had no idea the dread and worry that her mother was feeling as Joyce smiled and seemed to be listening as she described the new weapon that she was collaborating with Tony over. It felt good to share with her mother this part of herself, and it made her return home not seem nearly as burdensome.

Her mother accepted her calling, and there was a new slayer in Sunnydale that would help her when she returned.

Senior year was going to be great!

*****_Chapter End*****_

_Okay, I know this is mostly a filler chapter as I wasn't very inspired. We're going to move the action back to Sunnydale, though, so I hope the next chapter will be better. Review if you want. I do appreciate the effort when you make the time. Thanks!_


	15. Chapter 15

**It wasn't until ****one of the last Marvel movies ****that I knew that Dr. Banner had 7 doctorate degrees, which might make him the most educated man in Marvel even if Reed Richard is supposedly the smartest still. **

**Also, remember in this story, Willow is not yet a full witch but ensouling Angel was her first major spell.**

Chapter 15: Back Home

*****_Sunnydale*****_

Pepper was not ready to say goodbye to her daughter. Classes didn't start back in Sunnydale for two weeks, but Cordelia was having her eighteenth birthday. She was wanting to have a big party at her house, and Buffy's mother was ready to have her home. Joyce had visited campus with Buffy and Willow, and Pepper had gone with them. Tony had already taken Oz and Willow to visit M.I.T., determined to convince them that his alma matter was the best choice for them. Cordelia went with them to NYU and Columbia, which were two of her choices even though she wasn't real keen on living on the East Coast with all the cold. Pepper had treasured every moment with Willow doing something a mother would. She could tell how excited Buffy's mother was, too, during the tours with her daughter.

"I worry that Buffy won't survive the year," Joyce confessed to her.

Pepper knew exactly how she felt because that fear kept her up at night except it was fear for Willow. Unlike Buffy, Willow wasn't super powered. She knew a bit of magic but not enough to protect from a vampire or demon. For the first time, Pepper understood Tony's desire to want to encase her in iron. She'd even asked Tony about making Willow a suit.

"Babe, you know that I would be glad to," Tony said. "I'd do it for all of them in a heartbeat, but Buffy says my suits are not practical for close quarter fighting. I'm hoping in a few years nanites will be more functional because a suit made with that would be lightweight and would mold to the body. Right now, though, I have designed them all dark chainmail for under their clothes and neck guards. We've also got those arm stakes they can wear, so they'll never be caught completely defenseless."

"I don't think I've seen them wear one," Pepper said.

"Oh, it shoots out really fast since they don't have Buffy's strength, but not like a crossbow where they have to carry it around. It's preloaded with just one stake," he explained. "It'll do in a pinch. It was actually Xander's idea."

Pepper knew Tony was still working, but she still felt uneasy as they were flying back to Sunnydale. Tony had arranged to fly directly to the small airport outside of Sunnydale. "I'm just so scared to leave her in this literal hell, Tony," she said. They were sitting in the back of the plane. Natalie was two seats in front of them with the kids taking up the front sides of the plane, chatting excitedly about their trip, the party Cordelia was throwing and the upcoming school year.

"We're just a phone call away, and Natalie is going to be with her. Her parents agreed that the new publicity we garnered over the summer as well as your connection with me called for a bodyguard," Tony reminded her. "The fact that it's a woman satisfied Sheila's sense of propriety, and it alleviated her father's guilt."

"He is sweet," Pepper said. They'd had dinner with the couple and some of Willow's Jewish relatives before they left town. It was clear that Ira just never said no to his wife, but he adored his daughter, who had very specific ideas on parenting. Nothing was going to convince her ideas weren't right, and Pepper had no legal authority to argue. Therefore, she did nothing but charm the couple as did Tony. Willow's parents had seen the footage of Willow and Oz's entry into the Expo and were very pleased with Willow's summer of intellectual pursuit. They had decided that Tony was a very good influence, and the gossip rags about him were all lies, written by jealous critics.

Willow, of course, had been glowing at the dinner. Overjoyed to have her parents' approval and Pepper and Tony there. For once, her Jewish family had looked at her with envy and had really seen her. No longer did she feel invisible in her family because Tony Stark had declared she was brilliant to the world. It made her very happy even if a tiny part of her resented the fact that a stranger to her family had to notice her before any of them besides her father did.

Natasha was reading her new report from Fury. It seemed that Coulson had not only had encounters already with vampires, but he had made first contact with the new slayer in town. She debated on whether or not she should tell Tony and Pepper. It was clear that Pepper was terrified to have her daughter back in Sunnydale. Maybe knowing that another slayer was in town would alleviate her anxiety. She got up and went to the seat in front of them and turned to face them.

"What's up?" Tony asked.

"I received an email from a contact of mine," she said.

"What kind of contact?" Tony asked.

"None of your business," she said with a smile to take out the sting.

Tony grinned. "What did this contact say?" he asked.

"That the new slayer is already in Sunnydale," she said. "I thought that might reassure Ms. Potts."

Pepper looked relieved. "It does. Thank you," she said.

"Faith is already there? I spoke to her watcher once when her council head gave me her contact information, and she said they were going to stay in Boston to work on Faith's training," Tony said.

"Well, they weren't obligated to tell you when they changed their plans, Tony," Pepper said, giving him a fond smile.

"They should be," Tony said with a slight pout.

"I wonder if Joyce knew she was in town? She never mentioned it," Pepper asked.

"You should ask Buffy," Tony said. "I purchased that mansion Buffy's ex used to crash in and began renovating it, so we would have a place to stay when we're in town."

"You did?" Pepper asked in surprise.

Tony nodded. "Yes. Since hotels are so dangerous," he said. "It also has space for the kids and training areas for all of them. I want Natalie to keep working with them. Now that Buffy will have another slayer to work with, she can elevate both of them."

"They do have watchers that train them," Natalie reminded him.

"Yes, but Rupert won't care. He's the best," Tony said.

"So I've heard," Natalie said dryly. "Faith's watcher might."

Tony waved his hand dismissively. "Rupert will take care of her," he said.

Natalie grinned. "I look forward to seeing your own James Bond at work," she said.

Tony's eyes brightened. "That's not bad, but he's more like Q although I've heard his nickname when he was younger was Ripper," Tony said. "He refuses to tell me why, but Xander has a big mouth. I've heard a few stories."

"Tony stop gossiping about your friend," she admonished.

"Speaking of friend," Natalie asked. "What is Dr. Banner's plans?"

"Well, Oz gave him a list of some werewolves he knows who might be interested in working with us on our cure," Tony said. "He's going to approach them about it. We need more blood samples from a wider pool of wolves to really get a good baseline he says, and since he's the one with seven doctorates, I agreed that he could be in charge."

Natalie laughed. "I bet that nearly killed you," she said.

"You have no idea," Tony said.

"There's also the added bit about how people instantly like Bruce, and not so much Tony," Pepper said with a smirk.

"Hey, they love my money!" he quipped.

"What are you guys talking about?" Willow asked, walking up to them.

"Natalie was just telling me that she heard from a friend that the new slayer is in town already," Pepper said. "I feel much better about you going back home just knowing that."

"It'll be okay, Mom. I promise," Willow told her, smiling. She loved how her mom worried, especially since her other mom didn't worry at all.

Buffy raised her head, overhearing. "Did you say slayer? What?"

Willow turned back toward her. "The other slayer is already in town," Willow shared.

"Yes, I know. Mom already had her and her watcher over for dinner," Buffy said. "In fact, I think the slayer's been over more than once. Mom likes her."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Willow asked her.

"Guess I didn't think about it," Buffy said with a shrug.

"Two hot slayers killing the undead? Nice!" Xander said, earning an elbow and a glare from his girlfriend.

"How do you know she's hot?" Cordelia asked.

"'Cause they all are. Buffy is. Kendra was. It's a given that this one is," Xander said with a smirk. He loved getting Cordy all riled up. Not only did it give her a sexy flush to her cheeks, but the make-up was always so hot later.

Tony snickered as he watched the two bicker. "I'm so going to miss their daily squabbles," he observed.

"It gets so old," Willow said, rolling her eyes. "They seem to fight more now that they're dating than before."

"It's because Xander likes to get her all worked up," Tony said with a knowing grin. "I do that sometimes with your mom. She looks so adorable when she gets that outraged look on her face." He glanced at her. "See. She's wearing the look now."

Pepper closed her mouth and just laughed.

It was Thursday. Classes started back on Monday, and Cordelia's party was Saturday. Tony and Pepper were planning on staying until Sunday as he promised Cordelia that he'd put in a half hour appearance at her party in order to seal her social status and redeem Xander's. As he adored the hell out of the girl, he couldn't refuse her. Pepper, however, was going to dinner with Joyce. They had really connected when the slayer's mother had spent four days in New York with them a week earlier. Friday, they were going out with Rupert. Now that Tony knew the new watcher was in town, he would insist that Rupert bring her along.

****_*Friday*****_

It was weird being back in Sunnydale, but the group unpacked and were welcomed by their parents. Well, Willow's parents were due back at the end of the month, and Pepper was very glad that they had agreed that Natalie could stay in the house as her full-time bodyguard. They had a guest room downstairs with her own bathroom.

Natasha settled in, perfectly happy with the room as she had stayed in much worse places. She accompanied the teens to meet the new slayer, Faith, for lunch and grinned to see that the girl was a budding femme fatale.

Faith heard they were back from Buffy's mother. Mrs. Summer was very cool in Faith's book as she'd had Faith over for dinner three times during the summer, and she always made plenty of food. It was great that a parent understood how much a slayer could pack away, and she seemed to genuinely care about getting to know Faith, which was a novel experience for Faith. Faith's watcher was pretty cool, but that was her job—to know and guide Faith.

Joyce made the introductions over the sandwich spread that she had prepared.

"Well, damn, B, I didn't know you had such cute boyfriends," Faith said, flashing her dimples at Xander and Oz.

"Oh, those are not mine," Buffy said quickly. "Oz belongs to Willow."

"Xander is mine, so keep your slayer hands off of him or I'll break them," Cordelia said. "Got it?"

Faith's smile widened. "I like her. I appreciate in-your-face hostility rather than that passive aggressive bullshit," she said.

"As long as we understand each other," Cordelia said. "No hitting on Xander, turning on Xander, or making a play for Xander."

"Hey, now, I'm pretty damn hot, so I can't help it if he gets turned on just looking at me," Faith said with a grin.

Oz laughed, surprising everyone, who knew him. "What? She's funny," he said. He could see that her bravado was an act, and he appreciated her boldness and the affect she was having the group. Change was good—they were growing a bit stale.

"If you think you can keep your hands off our boyfriends, you can come to my birthday party tomorrow night," Cordelia said.

"A party? Sweet," Faith said. "This town has been pretty dead, so I could use a good party."

"It'll be big 'cause most of the school will be there," Cordelia said. "You can meet some students before school started."

"Oh, I'm not going to be going to school," Faith said. "My watcher is letting me study for the GED. I wanted to dropout entirely, but she's kind of a ballbuster. Since Buffy is all about the school, we figured that I could do the later patrols on school nights to make it easier on her. Mrs. Summer's thought that was a great idea."

Buffy blinked in surprise. "Actually, that is a good idea—thanks, Faith," she said.

"What's your watcher like? Is he a British stick in the mud?" Faith asked. "Mrs. Summer didn't seem too keen on him."

"How would you know?" Willow asked, frowning. "Giles isn't a stick in the mud. He's wonderful!"

"Yes, Giles is the best," Buffy said. "I've missed him this summer."

"Well, he's gotta be kind of cool if he's willing to let you bone a vampire!" Faith said with a smirk.

Buffy's friends showed various degrees of shock at her words—even Oz raised an eyebrow. Buffy, however, looked outraged. She stood up. "Excuse me?" she asked.

"I'm just saying he's gotta be less strict than my watcher if he's going to let you get vertical with a vampire," Faith said. "I mean, necrophilia doesn't do it for me, but whatever floats your boat—I don't judge."

Xander spit out his drink at her words while Cordelia pounded him on his back. Willow's face turned bright red as disgust filled her as the image Faith created with her words.

"Are you kidding me?" Buffy said. "Necrophilia? That's disgusting! Angel wasn't dead. He was alive!"

"He didn't have a pulse, B. You basically had sex with a corpse. One that happened to be a blood sucker," Faith said with a snicker. "It's like you kind of forgot that we're vampire slayers."

"First of all, I didn't know he was a vampire before I fell for him," Buffy said. "Second of all, we had sex exactly _one _damn time! Then he turned into my worst nightmare, so don't you dare say such a vile thing in my house again. Do you hear me?" She was about ready to jump across the dining room table and beat the smirk off the girl's face.

Faith held up her hands. "Hey, I'm sorry! I wasn't really trying to pick a fight. Seriously!" she said. She grabbed another sandwich. Then she turned to Cordelia. "So tell me about this party."

Cordelia was happy to change the subject and began telling her about the party plans.

Buffy sat back down, exchanging a look with Willow, who still wasn't quite recovered from the exchange.

In the other room, Natasha was snickering. The new slayer was a firecracker—this was going to be very a very interesting school year.

******_Chapter End******_

_I was going to go further, but this took way too long to write! Review if you were entertained by my scribblings. Thanks!_


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